Bridging the Gap
by deadlykitten27
Summary: After not taking Kylos hand and saving what little remains to the resistance Rey is trying to put her heart and emotions back together. With snoke dead the bond that was formed should be broken as well, but both kylo ren and rey learn that is not true. Will their bond be the cause od kylos down fall and reys light? Read to find out. Reylo!
1. Chapter 1 Aftermath (04-18 04:45:07)

Rey sat in the pilot's seat in the Millennium Falcon, starting out the window. She could her the thrumming of the engines as they hurled through hyperspace. She couldn't help but sit and think of the events of the last 24 hours. How had everything gone so wrong? Luke had said, "This isn't going to go the way you think it will" and maybe she should have listened. She couldn't help but wonder what she could have done differently to make Ben.. she stopped that thought in its tracks. Best not to think about him right now. They needed to find shelter away from the First Order and away from _him._

Rey was so lost in thought that she didn't hear anyone behind her. "You doing okay in here?" She jumped at the sudden noise and turned to see Poe. She had just met him while leaving Crait but had heard so much about him already from Leia and the other members of the Resistance. "Yea. I'm good. Thanks." She replied. Poe walked over and stat in the co-pilot's seat to her right. "You are an amazing shot. You took those TIE's down so quick. I must say I'm quite impressed." Poe said, while fiddling with some of the controls and smiling. Rey didn't quite know what to say. The days events had left her tired, broken and numb. "Thanks. Chewie made it easier for me with his piloting skills" she replied. Poe just smiled and laughed at her remark.

Being new acquaintances, they didn't have much to say and the two sat in silence for a while. Poe could tell by looking at the girl that she was having trouble with the events that unfolded before her. He watched her silently as she sat in the pilot's chair with one knee raised to her chest and her arm wrapped around it holding it close to her. She rested her forehead on her knee but her eyes stayed open. She was definitely lost deep in her own thoughts. He couldn't help but think that she was a pretty little thing. The first thing he noticed was how petite she was but how she radiated this strength and light. And those eyes. She had these beautiful hazel eyes that you could get lost in. Poe realized he was staring at her and quickly looked away. "Why don't you head back and get some rest. I can take over for a while." He said to her. He knew she was tired and needed a break from everything. Those hazel eyes looked up at him and with a small thankful smile. "Thanks Poe. That's probably a good idea." She stood up and patted his shoulder before she left the cockpit and headed out in to the common area.

Rey walked around seeing what little of the resistance remained. She couldn't believe that this was all that was left. A handful of people, a couple of force sensitives, and broken light saber. How were they supposed to come back after this? The First Order basically got their wish and nearly knocked out the Resistance completely. But she still had hope. Leia had told her that we had everything we needed to rebuild and rebuild they would. They would make the Resistance strong again and they would continue to fight. Rey could see that almost everyone was asleep in the common area. Most of them on the floor and a couple on the bench near the holochess table. She could see that Finn had fallen asleep next to the girl, she thought her name was Rose, that was injured on Crait. Looking at them made Rey's chest feel hollow, like there was a piece of her missing. Like he was missing. She shook her head, mad at herself. Could she not even go a minute without thinking about him?!

She continued out of the common area quietly as to not wake anyone. She headed down the empty passageways of the ship and found a small room containing supplies and relief overcame her. This was perfect for some time alone where she could rest and think with no one to bother her. She hated being alone on Jakku and couldn't stand the abandonment she had suffered for 15 years, but now she was surrounded by friends and allies and it felt like too much. She sometimes felt like she couldn't breathe and that she just needed the quite emptiness that she used to have in her dilapidated AT-AT on Jakku.

Rey walked into the storage room and rested her back against the wall that was facing the door. She slid down until she was sitting with her knees up with her elbows resting on them. She held her head in her hands and sat there listening to the sound of her own breathing. She was to entranced in her own thoughts that she didn't feel him appear in front of her.


	2. Chapter 2 Questions

Kylo Ren had returned to the first order ship and angrily made his way to his private quarters. By the time the door had shut behind him he was nearly in a blind rage. He could taste the blood in his mouth from where he bit his cheek trying to not lose it in the middle of the ship. He balled his fists clenching his fingers tighter and tighter until the leather of his gloves almost ripped at the seams. Blindly he reached for his light saber, ignited it, and began to hack into anything and everything around him.

His walls were covered in scorched lines and his sitting room furniture was nothing but destroyed black leather and ash. Standing above the scene was Kylo who's breath was short and quick trying to regain some sort of sense. Kylo put his saber back on his belt and stood up straight gathering himself and slowing his breathing. His mind drifted back to the throne room, back to her. "How could she not take his hand?" he thought. How could she deny everything that they were and everything the are supposed to be? He had asked and not taken, but damn near begged her to stand by him. That's what he was supposed to do right? Rey made it very clear she would not just be taken but would have to be respected. He did respect her. He felt everything for her. But why had she denied him?

Kylo felt the pull around him, like his mind was being dragged through time and space and bringing him closer to something. It was. It was bringing him to her. He stood in a dark room with supply shelves looking down at her. She was sitting there with her elbows on her knees and head in her hands. Breathing. Quietly, and slowly like she was trying to gain her composure he noticed. She hadn't noticed him yet. She sat still breathing with her head down. Had she lost all faith in him that she couldn't even feel him when the Force connected them now. The anger built inside him again. How could someone so insignificant make him feel this way. Make him angry that she didn't seem to care. He was about to say something to her to bring her attention when her head snapped up and she looked him dead in the eyes. Kylo felt his breath catch in his throat.

Rey was clearly startled by the connection. She hadn't felt the initial draw but felt his anger and his power, almost suffocating her. When she looked up she didn't imagine that he would be there. Rey had been so surprised to see him that she scrambled to her feet using the wall for support. Snoke was dead right? So how were they still connecting like this? "W-what are you doing here….H-how is this happening?" She stammered.

Kylo Ren couldn't hold it in any more. All of the anger, hurt, and betrayal built up inside him. "Why?!" He spat back at her. This confused Rey. Why what? Was he asking why they were still connecting? She didn't have the answer to that anymore than he did and clearly she didn't want this any more than he did either. "Why what?" She asked back with defiance. If he was going to be rude to her then she would be strong and push back. They were back to where they started, when they first met. Angry and hating each other.

"Why _What?!" He shouted. "What do you mean why what?!" His anger kept building and it startled Rey along with his shouting. As he had yelled his question he had stalked up to her and put one hand against the wall on each side of her head. Towering over and looking down at her with his emotion filled brown eyes. She could see not only the anger in them but the hurt and brokenness as well. She could see everything in his eyes that she was feeling. "Why what Ben?" She barely whispered to him. "My name is not Ben!" He shouted and punched the wall next to her head. Rey flinched and looked away from him, staring down at the floor of the supply room. She was trying everything to hold in the tears that had started to cloud her vision. "My. Name. Is. Kylo Ren." He said between gritted teeth and in her ear._

"Why what, Kylo?" she said back struggling to say that name. She slowly lifted her gaze back to him. He was so close to her now. She would feel his breath on her cheek and could smell him. He smelled of his normal musky mint but also of ash and sweat. Rey noticed that he was trembling trying to contain himself at the anger he felt since she didn't understand his question. "Why Rey? Why did you not take my hand? Why did you walk away from everything that we are supposed to be." He explained his question further. This surprised her. "Everything they were supposed to be?" She had never been anything to anyone and now he said that she walked away from something. From him. Tears stung her eyes. Why did she feel like this around him? Like he was the only one that could make her feel like someone other than a scavenger?

"You know why Be- Kylo." She said softly to him. "I won't ever turn to the dark. I can't. I can't take the path that you are asking me to Ben. I just… can't." He stared at her and couldn't understand her answer. He could give her everything and show her that she was someone to be respected and loved. Isn't that what she wanted?! She was a scavenger from Jakku who was sold by her parents for drinking money and left alone at the age of 4. Didn't she want to be someone? Needed by someone?

These thoughts raced through Kylo's mind making him even more angry if that was even possible. "I could have given you everything!" He shouted. "I didn't want everything Ben! I wanted you!" She shouted back. That seemed to stun him. His anger dissipated and his eyes widened. Her shouted statement had brought him up short. Before he could get a coherent thought to say back to her, she disappeared from in front of him. Kylo Ren was left alone in his quarters with both hands on the wall staring at the gash marks left by his light saber in his fit of rage and an aching hand where he had punched the wall.


	3. Chapter 3 Hope Kindles

Rey was left standing there against the cold wall in the dark supply closet. Both of her hands were at her sides with her palms pressed against the cool metal. She couldn't help the tears that spilled from her eyes. She had just brazenly admitted something to Ben that she was scared to even admit to herself. She didn't want everything in the galaxy. She just wanted him. Just Ben. She thought about their interaction just now and could feel the fury rise in her as she thought about him correcting her on his name. "My. Name. Is. Kylo Ren." He had said viciously in her ear. She wanted to scream. She could feel her fists clench at her sides her nails digging into her palms. Her anger was taking over her. Why was he so desperate to cling to this darkness inside him? She felt his light. It was there fighting for escape and all he had to do was choose the light. She saw it when they touched hands. He was supposed to choose the light. So why did he ask her to choose the dark.

Rey felt out of control. She stopped clenching her fists and took a few steadying breaths to calm her sudden anger at her conversation with Ben. She just couldn't understand how things had gone so wrong. She felt broken and empty. Rey pushed herself off the wall and out of the empty closet that no longer seemed like a safe haven. She had told Poe that she was going to go rest and it had only been a couple of hours since she left the cockpit. Rey wandered back into the common area where most everyone was still asleep. There was one person awake though, and he looked up when she entered the room.

Finn stood up immediately at the site of her. She looked exhausted, he thought, and worse for the wear with a deep cut on her right shoulder and small bruises forming along her cheek and jaw. She looked over at him and smiled. The two walked towards each other and found themselves in a tight embrace. Rey let out the breath that she didn't realize she was holding. She was just so happy to see Finn had made it through the battle. He was the first real friend that she had ever had and loosing him would break her heart, she was sure of it.

They pulled away from each other and they each saw the smile and relief on each others faces, obviously happy that they were both safe and made it through. Finn pulled Rey over by Rose so that he could keep an eye on her in case she woke up. He looked up at Rey. "So. What happened? Tell me everything."

Rey spilled everything. Telling Finn about her training with Luke on Ach To and her fight with Kylo Ren on the Supremacy. She gave every detail about training, her encounter with Snoke, and the fight with Kylo Ren after Snoke's death. Rey wasn't sure why but she couldn't bring herself to tell Finn about the force connections that she was having with Kylo. She just knew Finn would not understand. Hell she could barely understand it herself. After listening Finn spilled his guts to Rey. He told her about everything, including the attack on the dreadnought and meeting Rose. She couldn't help but laugh when he told her that Rose had shocked him because she thought he was deserting the resistance. It made her think of the first time they had met on Jakku when she had slammed him down with her staff. Finn sure did have a hard time meeting new people with out getting injured. Their conversation went on for hours. Just two friends catching up on everything they had missed.

Rey realized they had talked completely through the night. She was so thankful for Finn. He didn't know it but he helped her make it through this night when she was feeling hopeless and honestly lost. She looked around and noticed that the common area was now filled with mostly awake resistance fighters who had began talking among themselves. She smiled at Finn. "Thank you for this." She said. "It really helped." He smiled back at her. "Anytime Rey. I'm always here." She smiled and hugged him again before getting up and heading to the cockpit.

Rey stepped into the cockpit to find Poe and Leia sitting with their heads close together and chatting about options of where to go. Poe noticed her first. He looked up at Rey with a big smile that reached his dark eyes. "Morning Rey." He said to her. She couldn't help but smile back at his warm face. "Morning!" She said back. Leia had looked up as well and smiled at Rey. "Come her darling, see where we are going." Leia had said to her. Out of the windshield Rey could see a plant that reminded her of Tokanda but with less water. There was nothing but luscious green forests all around the globe.

"It's beautiful." she whispered. "Where are we?"

"That my dear is Dantooine." Leia responded. She couldn't help but stare at Rey as she looked at the planet in awe. This poor girl who had seen so little of the galaxy but who had already been through so much. Leia's heart broke for her. She knew that there was still so much for Rey to face in the coming days. But for now she would smile and enjoy the awe and wonderment of a girl who has only ever lived in sand. "Dantooine, has an old and abandoned rebel base that I think we can take shelter in for now so that we can regroup and decide our next steps." Leia said.

Rey smiled. She was ready for this. She was filled with hope and ready to rebuild the resistance.


	4. Chapter 4 Force Bond

Kylo Ren sat quietly in the board room listening to Hux ramble on about something of little importance to him. He couldn't stand this part of being the Supreme Leader. Kylo knew he wasn't cut out for this part of the job. Listening to Generals talk about mundane issues that really didn't deserve his attention. Never the less Kylo had to be present.

He could feel his mind drifting back to thoughts of the girl. Of Rey. That night in the supply closet she had been the weakest he had ever seen her. He could remember hitting the wall next to her head and seeing her turn her face away from him in fright. Good, he thought, she should be scared of me. Everyone should. But he couldn't help but feel some guilt from making her feel that way.

He had yelled at her. Told her exactly what was on his mind, that he could have given her anything, and that's when her strength came back. He could see it. She squared he shoulders, threw her chin high in the air and yelled back at him. "I didn't want everything Ben! I wanted you!" She had shouted at him. Her words rang in his ears still. He wanted her too. She was the only one like him. The only one who has truly understood him, but she still denied him didn't she? Kylo could feel the flow of anger coursing through his body as he thought about her, completely unaware of the people and the room he was currently in.

"Kyl- Supreme Leader?" Hux questioned. "How do you feel about this plan?" Kylo's head jerked up to look at the pasty red headed general in front of him. Oh how he hated that man. Hux was always striving for the next position above him and would do anything for it. He was a weasel and Kylo couldn't stand him. "That's fine General Hux." Was all that he replied. "Very well." Hux answered. Hux them moved on to something even more mundane and useless if that was even possible.

Kylo was about to get up and storm out of this meeting until he felt a familiar sensation. The world around him went quiet and he felt the tug of the force in his mind. It took only seconds, but suddenly she was there in the board room with him. She was wearing a similar outfit to the first time they had met, with a tan tunic and gray pants. She had her signature wrappings around her arms. Her back was to him and Kylo could see that she had put her hair back into the three buns that she normally wears. He could tell that she training because there was sweat running down the back of her neck and small pieces of hair had clung to her wet skin. She blocked a strike and then swung back at her assailant with a winning blow. She threw her head back and laughed. Kylo couldn't help but smile at the sound. He loved the way her laugh sounded.

He realized he was in the meeting still and cleared his face of any expression quickly so that no one would notice their Supreme Leader smiling. He looked back over to where Rey had appeared and was met with her face staring directly back at him. It startled him for a moment but he didn't let it show. She must of felt his presence when he wasn't paying attention. She didn't look mad at him, or sad, or anything really. He noticed that she had cleared her face of any expression what so ever and simply looked back at him. He was surprised that she was still standing there. Usually the connections would cut out by now and this one had seemed to last a long time.

It was if his thought had turned a switch, Rey slowly disappeared from in front of him, and Kylo let out the breath of air that he didn't realize he was holding in.

What had this scavenger done to him. She was making him weak, he thought. Making him unfocused and that was not okay in the slightest. Kylo's irritation with the situation steadily built in his body and he began to clench his fists at his sides. He had had enough with the meeting at this hour in the night and was ready to retire to his personal quarters. He didn't care that Hux was still talking about the same unimportant issue, and got up and stormed out of the room before he could hear Hux's protests.

Kylo made it to his room and changed into his clothing for sleep. He wore a pair of black sleeping pants and nothing else. Comfort was all that he was striving for right now. He went to his bed, sat down with his back against the headboard and grabbed his datapad from his nightstand. Kylo sat staring at the technology for hours researching and researching, and then he found it. The connections were a Force Bond that he and Rey had made the first time that he invaded her mind on _Starkiller base. Snoke had nothing to do with it, the way he said he did. Kylo searched frantically to see if there was any way to break the bond, and he came up empty handed._

Kylo threw the datapad against the wall smashing it to pieces. He was stuck with Rey and she was stuck with him. Kylo laid down out of exhaustion since he had not slept in almost two days, and fell asleep almost instantly.

His sleep was not restful by any means. The moment he had lost consciousness was the moment his nightmares came flooding in. They had changed since he killed Snoke. Mostly his dreams consisted of Snoke being very much alive and torturing Rey in front of him. Most times Snoke killing Rey while laughing and Kylo was helpless to the situation. This night he had the same nightmare but it seemed to go on forever. Rey's screams wouldn't end and Snoke was being more ruthless then ever. Then it stopped. Rey went quiet and Snoke dropped her lifeless body to the floor. Kylo could see the blood running down from the corner of her mouth while her eyes were closed and she made no movements.

Kylo screamed in his dream. A scream of pure anger and suddenly he was awake and sitting straight up in his bed. The scene that was in front of him had disappeared and now there was just the black of his room. He slowed his breathing and rolled over to his side bumping into something. He went to turn over and saw her. Laying there in his bed, sound asleep. Kylo was stunned and sat without moving for minutes. She was facing him on her side with one arm under the pillow at her head and the other resting at her side with her had by her waist. He noticed that she had let her hair down and it fell around her shoulders in soft brown waves. Her face was peaceful and he could see the small smattering of freckles on her nose and cheeks.

She was beautiful he thought. So small and delicate but also so strong and resilient. Kylo couldn't help himself, but he reached a hand out to her face and tucked a small piece of hair behind Rey's ear and then gently brushed her cheek with his fingers. Her skin was so soft and just like when they touched before in her hut, the connection of skin on skin sent shocks and tingles through his whole body. Rey stirred slightly and then murmured in her sleep, "hmm. Ben." Kylo's body stiffened. Had she just said his name. His stomach was doing flips in his body and then she said it again softly, "Ben." Before Kylo could say anything Rey's sleeping form disappeared from in front of him. Kylo's hand resting on the spot where she just was. It was warm as if she had really been there. Kylo was thinking about what had just happened and how she had said his name and he knew he was in trouble.


	5. Chapter 5 Only In Dreams

Rey's eyes fluttered open as she woke up. Light had just begun filtering through her window leaving streaks of like between the shade of the blind. She sat up quickly to look around. She was in fact alone. Remembering her dream, she touched her check. She had dreamed of him, so vividly in fact that her cheek still felt warm where he had touched it. It felt so real, so intimate. He couldn't have actually been there right? No she thought. It was just a dream. He would have never been that gentle with her. The last time she had seen him he was punching the wall next to her head. She couldn't help but feel disappointed at the fact that it had not been real.

A knock on Rey's door took her attention away from the dream. "Come in." she said. The large door opened to let Finn and Poe in. "Well good morning sleepy head." Poe said with a large smile that touched his eyes. We walked over and gave Rey a hug that lasted a little longer than normal. "What are you doing in bed still?" Finn questioned? He looked excited for something. "Still?" Rey asked. "It just became morning." She said with a chuckle. "Yea, yea. I know. But we have lots to do today!" Finn said excitedly. "Were meeting with our allies today remember?" Finn's excitement was contagious. "oh yea!" Rey said! "Okay can you guys give me a minute to get dressed and well head out for breakfast?" Poe smiled at her. "You got it." Finn and Poe left Rey alone to get dressed for the day. She put on her usual attire of her tan tunic and tan pants with her arm wrappings. It wasn't as hot on Dantooine as it was on Jakku so she decided to leave half of her hair down and pinning the top half back. Rey walked out of the room to her friends and they headed for breakfast.

They walked down the corridors of the old rebel base. It was slowly but surely coming to life Rey thought. There had been so few of them when they first arrived that the base remained quite even though it was so large. It had been about a month since the fight on Crait and their numbers had started to grow exponentially. Many people had heard about the ruthless fighting tactics of the first order and immediately joined the resistance. The base was now filled with people chatting and working on ships, and weapons. Rey couldn't help but smile at how resilient the Resistance truly was. She had almost lost hope after Crait but could now see that hope was all they needed.

The day was noting but meetings on meetings with their allies talking about ships, and food, and weapons to be given to the resistance. Rey could tell Finn and Poe were really enjoying themselves, because they hadn't stopped smiling and laughing all day. They lived for this. She loved seeing how happy this made them.

Finally by the time the meetings were through it was time for dinner. Rey ate with Poe, as Finn rushed off to check on Rose who was still recovering. Their dinner wasn't anything extremely special, just the normal rations, but Poe made it enjoyable. He talked non stop about his former missions giving Rey all the details about the attack on the dreadnought. Rey couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm.

Poe loved her smile. He thought about ways to make her smile constantly throughout their meal. He was really starting to like Rey. She was strong, smart, and extremely witty. Poe commended her on her strength to deal with not only being left alone at the age of 4 to become a scavenger, but because she faced her fears head on like they were nothing at all. He continued his pilot stories in hopes that she would keep smiling, and she did. He was sad to see that they had both finished their meals and he was sure that she would want to head back to her own room soon. He wasn't ready to be away from her. "Hey. Do you want to play pazaak for a bit before the night ends?" He asked her, hopeful that she would say yes. Rey smiled at him again, "Not tonight Poe. I'm really tired. I think I'm going to head back to my room and relax some before I go to sleep." Poe could feel the disappointment rush through is body. "I understand." He said. "Its been a long day. Let me walk you back to your room."

The two of them walked back down the same halls as they had this morning, talking the whole way. Poe had told some joke about a Wookie and Rey laughed. Really laughed at his joke. Poe thought he loved her smile but as soon as that sweet noise came out of her, he realized how much more he liked to hear her laugh. They finally made it to Rey's room and Poe gave her a hug before she headed inside.

Rey loved her friends and the Resistance, but she was happy to be alone, in her own room with no one around. Rey took off her clothes and put on a loose tunic to sleep in. The tunic went half way down her thighs and left the rest of her legs bear. She was alone she thought and safe in this base, so she didn't put anything else on. She climbed onto her bed and began reading one of the old Jedi texts that she had taken from Ach To. Out of nowhere Rey's whole body was filled with panic. It rushed over her like a crashing wave against a rock and stole the breath from her body. She looked around bewildered. There was nothing that should have made her panic the way it did. Suddenly she realized this wasn't her panic that she was feeling. It was Ben's.

The area around her went silent and she felt herself being dragged as if she were on the opposite side of a rope and suddenly she was there. In Ben's room, looking down on him has he tossed and turned wrapped in his dark sheets. She could see that he was sweating, and his brow was furrowed across his face. He thrashed around a little more, and Rey could help but feel sorry for him. She wanted to reach out and to wake him up but couldn't muster the courage. She took a heavy breath and closed her eyes. Reaching out with the force she entered his mind.

The scene that she ran into scared her more than she was prepared for. She knew he was having a nightmare, but she never expected to see herself lying dead on the floor of the throne room as Ben or Kylo Ren fought the guards and was slowly losing. "Ben!" she shouted Bens head snapped in her direction and she could feel the relief course through her body. Not her relief, but his. He seemed confused and looked around to see her dream body still lying on the floor cold and lifeless. He looked back at her. "H-how?" he said. "You're dreaming Ben." She said. "I'm just fine. You need to wake up." As soon as she had said to wake up the scene in front of her disappeared. Rey removed herself from his mind and opened her eyes to see Ben, resting on his elbows looking straight at her.


	6. Chapter 6 Wakung Up

Kylo Ren rested on his elbows staring up at the half naked girl in front of him. It took everything in Kylo to hide his surprise at the strange scene laying before him. His eyes took in her flushed face and concerned expression and traveled down to her loose-fitting tunic and bare legs. He quickly looked back up to see Rey staring at him still concerned and confused. "I'm sorry." She said. "I didn't know what was happening. I was in my room and suddenly I felt all this panic come from now where. I took me a moment, but I realized it wasn't my panic but yours and then the force brought me here." She said breathlessly. Rey looked at him hoping for some answers but was only met with his hard stare. She stood there in silence not knowing what to do next. Rey's face flushed even more when she remembered that she was only wearing her long and loose tunic that left most of her legs completely bear. She could feel Kylo's eyes on her and she wanted to squirm under his gaze.

"So, you thought it would just be okay to come into my mind without permission?" Kylo asked shaking Rey out of her distracted thoughts.

"Excuse me?" She said.

"I'm sorry the last time I went into your mind without permission you seemed rather angry. I just thought for someone who felt like it was such a violation, they wouldn't do the same thing to someone else." Kylo responded bitterly. He was irritated. He was mad at the relief that she had brought him by stepping into his mind. Not because he wasn't desperately searching for the relief but because it was her who seemed to give him that feeling. She could calm him and make him regain his focus on everything around him.

His statement enraged her. She could feel the anger and irritation radiate through her body. Her brow furrowed, and her eyes became as sharp as kyber crystals. "How dare you." She said through gritted teeth.

Kylo had slid to the edge of his bed and stood up. He walked over to a small table that held a black pitcher and glasses. He poured himself a glass of water and took a drink. His eyes never left her. He couldn't help but smile a little when she became piqued at his remark. He could feel the force around her turning dark. It was perplexing and irresistible. She was so much more than he ever thought she was. That light that she clung to was in a constant war with the dark that she had dismissed. He could see that she was fighting it. Refusing to give in to the dark, to the power.

"Thank you." He said to her. Rey's anger vanished and was replaced with utter confusion. " _Thank you?" she asked. He was so distracted and curious about how quickly the her stance within the force ebbed and flowed and changed. Just a moment ago it she was radiating darkness and anger, and then his statement had distracted her, and she was now more light than dark. "Yes. Thank you, for helping me. I often have nightmares that don't allow me to sleep and I appreciate your help getting me out of that one." He said._

Rey was in shock. She felt like she was on a ship that kept switching from normal speed to hyperspace multiple times in just a few moments, this conversation was bound to give her whiplash. "Be- Kylo. What is happening? How are we still connecting?" Kylo heard her slight stammer at using his former name and her correction of calling him Kylo. He stared at her. He could tell she wasn't trying to fight anymore but just needing answers to this connection. She was careful to call him by the name Kylo. She cared for him and his feelings which was made clear by the simple use of his other name. "It's a force bond Rey." He replied to her. "And before you ask it cannot be broken. So you are stuck with me and I am stuck with you."

"But how is that possible?" She asked. "Snoke created this connection and he's dead. The connection should have died with him right?" Kylo couldn't help but feel agitated. This connection had already lasted longer than any other one they have had so far, and she was standing in his room half-dressed distracting him. He was tired and still shaken at his nightmare where he watched her die. Had she seen herself die in his dream or did she appear after, he wondered. "Snoke lied Rey." He said much harsher than he had meant to. "Are you so naïve that you will believe anything anyone tells you?" He was trying to make her angry to see if in their anger the connection would be broken. He just wanted to go back to sleep.

Rey's face flushed with new embarrassment, but she refused to let Kylo make her feel stupid just because she didn't understand. "Oh, I'm sorry that I don't understand all of this." She said sweeping her arms in front of her. "I'm a little new to the force Kylo, so excuse me if I don't have all of the knowledge that you do, oh smart one." Rey was over this conversation, but this connection seemed never ending. Every time they connected they fought. "Kylo, I just want to talk. I need some answers because I don't understand all of this." She said softly to him, her eyes dropping to the floor.

It was Kylo's turn to feel embarrassed. Recently he had been so harsh with her and he regretted it. Her rejection from the throne room still made his heart ache, but he understood her now. She didn't want to rule the galaxy and he had to now because he was the Supreme leader. "Rey." He said softly. Her eyes met his and their held each other captive in their stares. "Rey I can teach you. If you would let me." He could see that this shocked her. Before Rey could reply, their connection ended, and she disappeared. Kylo was left alone again to his own thoughts.

His thoughts were only of her. She was making him weak and he knew it. After they had touched hands Kylo knew that they were meant to be together. They needed to stand together as one instead of individuals or this fight would never end.


	7. Chapter 7 Teacher

Rey was left standing in the middle of her dimly lit room where she had run when she felt Ben's panic. "Rey I can teach you. If you would let me." He had said just before their connection broke. He had said it as softly as he had said please to her in the throne room. Rey wanted so badly to take his hand that day and almost had. She had reached out to grab his gloved hand and saw the flicker of hope in his eyes that made her heart skip a beat. Then thoughts of her friends dying on the transports had scared her so badly that she reached for Luke's light saber in desperation and the rest was history.

She had chosen the resistance over him. Over Ben. Rey began pacing in her room. Did she make the right choice? She had felt that she did before. Choosing light was the right way. Wasn't it? Light was everything we should want to be. It is love and hope and life. If she had taken Ben's hand he would have wanted her to turn to the dark. She didn't have it in her. She didn't want the anger and hate and death. What scared Rey more though was how powerful she felt when she was angry. Even just now with Ben when she had let the anger rush through her body she could feel the force flow with it. Could feel the power in her body. It terrified her. How could she be having these thoughts and feelings about the dark when she knew remaining in the light was the right path.

"Rey I can teach you. If you would let me." His comment kept running through her head over and over. Did she want him to teach her? Luke was gone and there was no one else to help her find her way through all of this. She only had a few days of training with Luke and was certainly not a master of the force. If Ben did teach her, would he expect her to turn to the dark and stand with him as compensation to his training, or was he just genuinely okay with teaching her for the sake of teaching?

 _"Rey."_

Rey's head shot up and she looked around the room only to find it empty. It was Ben's voice she had heard. Was it in her mind? Rey stat down on her bed and crossed her legs like Luke had shown her when he taught her. She steadied her breathing and closed her eyes focusing all her energy on the force and reached out to Ben.

 _"Ben?" She asked._

 _"Yes. It's me." He replied. "Rey. My offer still stands. I will teach you if you would like me to."_

 _"Why Ben?" She asked._

 _"Because I want to help you Rey." His tone was soft. She could hear the exhaustion in his voice. He was being honest and genuine._

 _"Okay Ben. I'll let you teach me, but I am not turning to the dark side. Understood?" She said sternly._

Ben chuckled, and Rey couldn't help but smile. She could feel his emotions in the back of her mind. He was amused with her. _"I don't expect you to Rey." He said._

 _"Good. I'm glad were on the same page." She said back to him. "And Ben?" Rey asked._

 _"What is it Rey?" Ben said concerned that something was wrong._

 _"Ben. I'm sorry for stepping into your mind. I won't do that again without permission." Rey said to him. Ben wasn't ready for an apology and she had caught him completely off guard._

 _"It's okay Rey. Well start lessons soon okay?"_

 _"Okay. Thank you, Ben." She said. "Get some sleep."_

He chuckled again at her. _"You too Rey." He said and then he was gone._

Rey opened her eyes and couldn't help but smile. She had felt his amusement and could almost feel his smile. His smile was probably something wonderous, she thought. She hoped that someday she would be able to see it just once before everything was said and done. Rey was feeling pleased at how their most recent conversation went. He was nice to her. Gentle almost she recalled. This made her smile even more. She knew that Ben was fighting with everything that he had just to stay in tune with the dark side of the force but more often than he knew the light did shine through. Ben was good and she knew it. She could feel it in her core. Someday Ben would return to the light.

The day had been long, and Rey felt a sudden wave of exhaustion hit her. She crawled under her standard issue blanket and reached over to turn of the dim light in her room. The space was covered in darkness. As she closed her eyes, all she could think about was Ben as she slowly drifted to sleep.

Kylo had felt her turmoil. Her emotions were screaming so loudly in his head that they felt like his own. He wanted to teach her, he wasn't lying about that. He felt sorry for her regarding having no one to show her the way through all of this. But he could, and he would if she would let him. That is when Kylo focused on the force and tried to connect to her just through their minds. He knew that the connection was there. He had been able to feel it for weeks. He could feel her emotions so powerfully that they sometimes took his breath away. He will never forget the anger that surged through his body after Luke had barged in on them in Rey's hut that night not so long ago. He had been worried for Rey knowing what his uncle was capable off, but soon his worry washed away and was replaced with rage. He noticed quickly though it was not his own. It was Rey's. She had been so full of anger against Luke that it was damn near palpable even though they were light years away from each other. Good, he had thought at the time. Her anger would protect her.

He had noticed it right away in Rey. She had more of the dark side in her then she was willing to admit. He could see it in the way that she fought. Though she would be opposed to admitting it, she relied heavily on her anger when she was in combat. On _Starkiller Base she had tapped into the dark side of the force to help her quickly overpower Ben. Rey had no clue that she was fighting the same battle that battle that Ben was but just reversed. Ben was fighting to shut out the light and Rey was trying the same with the dark._

When Ben and Rey had connected just now he was surprised that she so easily accepted his offer to teach her. She did make one stipulation that he knew before he even offered and that was that Rey would absolutely not turn to the dark side. Kylo was oddly okay with this. He had become attracted to Rey's light. Every time that he had been in her presence he could feel a sense of clam wash over him. He liked her light and couldn't imagine her without it. So, what was he doing then? He thought. Was he just going to teach this girl everything so that she could cut him down in battle?

Kylo could feel his anger building. He was being completely thoughtless in all of this simply because he was beginning to care for some girl from Jakku. He was being foolish thinking that anything good would come out of this, but he couldn't resist. As soon as their connection had ended, Kylo had felt empty wishing she would come back. "You're not alone." He had told her. "Neither are you" she replied. He never felt alone when he was near her. She seemed to understand him. Yes, she wanted him to turn back to the light but she seemed to be okay with his struggle. She had listened to him in a way that no one before ever did. She cared about him and he was willing to let her.

Kylo walked back to his bed and straightened the sheets. He slunk between them and laid down. He couldn't help but think of her. Of Rey. His mind drifted to how her eyes had looked when he had said thank you. They had widened in disbelief and he could see the true hazel color in them. Her hair had fallen softly on her shoulders covering part of the beige tunic. He couldn't help but smile thinking about her in her tunic and nothing else leaving her naked legs exposed. Kylo closed his eyes and fell back to sleep thinking of Rey, and for the first time in almost two weeks, the nightmares didn't come.


	8. Chapter 8 Meditation

Rey woke early the next morning. She got dressed quietly and headed to the mess hall. The base was quiet and there were hardly any resistance members awake. She quickly got her daily rations for breakfast and at them in peace at her own table. Once she had finished her meal she decided to take a trek in the surrounding forests by the base. She headed to her room and grabbed her staff and a few waters for the time she planned on spending alone exploring today.

The forest was so green and luscious. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. Rey couldn't help but revel in how beautiful her surroundings were. She had made it far into the forest now and couldn't help but think of him. Ben. He had offered to teach her again and she had finally accepted. She hoped that she was making the right choice in this. But then again what other choice did she have? There was no one left to teach her what she needed to know, and Ben was willing to help. Rey thought about how they were able to talk to each other just in their minds and thought about how warm his presence was when he had spoken to her. She had missed it when he had left last night. Rey couldn't help herself, she cared for Ben. Or Kylo Ren. Whatever he wanted to call himself, she didn't care. She could feel the light in him. She could see the light. Ben wasn't meant to be dark. Yes, he had a lot of the dark inside of him but there was still light fighting to get out.

Rey continued walking and soon found herself in a large clearing of the woods. She set down her bag, thinking this would be a nice place to do a little training by herself. Rey grabbed her staff and went to the middle of the clearing. She began practicing with her staff. Spinning and striking, spinning and striking. She did this for an hour and wasn't ready to stop. She loved the way training made her feel. She felt strong and capable. She was so in tune with her body, and motions that she did not feel the slight pull as Kylo appeared behind her.

Kylo could see the sweat rolling off her neck and her loose hair from her buns clinging to the wet spots. He had been in his room getting ready for the day when he felt that all too familiar pull. The force pulled him to her this time, she was training. Spinning her staff and kicking out with her legs. He watched her carefully. Her form wasn't bad, but she did have weak points to work on, however she was quite competent with a quarter staff he noted. She was breathing hard and starting to get tired he could tell. Kylo wondered how long she had been out here. Rey stopped training and put her hands behind her head to catch her breath. Kylo waited for her to notice him. He was enjoying watching her train. There was something in her that drew him in constantly. At first Kylo thought it was the light in her but he was starting to think that it was so much more than that.

Rey stopped dead in her tracks. She had been to consumed in what she was doing to feel the pull of the force. She turned around and looked directly into Ben's eyes. He dressed in his normal all black attire and was leaning against something with his arms crossed. He had a small smirk on his face has he had seen the surprise on her hers. "When did you get here?" she asked. "Just a few moments ago" he replied. "You are pretty decent with that quarter staff. How long have you been using that weapon?" She was flattered by the complement. "Sine I was 12" she replied. "I had to learn how to protect myself in Jakku. The other scavengers aren't always kind." Kylo hated hearing that at 12 she had to learn how to defend herself from other people because they wanted what she had worked for. He couldn't understand why but he wanted to kill anyone who had ever tried to hurt her.

"Well you can tell that you are quite comfortable with that." He said not acknowledging his anger that he was feeling thinking about her defending herself at 12. "I am. Thanks." She said. "Well since I am here perhaps we should have a lesson while our connection is lasting." He said back. "Okay. What are we going to start with?" Rey asked. "Let's try meditating." Kylo responded. "I know how to meditate" Rey said indignantly. "Do you?" Kylo shot back. "Show me."

Rey narrowed her eyes at him and then sat down. She crossed her legs and rested her forearms on her knees. She closed her eyes and tried clearing her mind. The truth is that she had only meditated a couple of times and each time Luck had guided her through the entire process. She reached out to the force and was having trouble connecting. Rey became frustrated and tried harder.

Kylo couldn't help but smile. She looked too endearing sitting in the clearing trying to meditate. He could see that she was getting frustrated. Her eyebrows were knit closely together, and her eyes were clenched shut. She wanted to show him that she could do it herself, and he appreciated her independence. However, this is why he offered to train her, because his failure of an Uncle clearly didn't help her. Kylo walked over to where Rey was sitting and sat down in front of her crossing his legs and taking the same position she was in. "You are trying to hard" he whispered.

His voice was so close now and his whisper sent a shiver down her spine. "Okay." She said. She didn't realize how tense she had become, and she relaxed her muscles as much as she could. "Now" he said. "clear your mind of anything." Rey followed his instructions. She stopped thinking about anything and tried remaining relaxed. "Reach out to the force around you" he said. She let everything go and reached out around her. It was just like on Ach To. She could feel everything around her. She felt life, death, peace, anger, light and dark. Then she was drawn to something else. It was dark. So very dark but she could see inside there was light trying to break free of the darkness. Then she realized that she was sensing Ben in the force. This must have been his force signature. She smiled inwardly. She knew there was still light in him, and she was going to keep fighting for him. "You're losing focus" Ben muttered. "Sorry." She said and focused again on the force around them. The two meditated together for about ten minutes before Ben cleared his throat. "That was good. You need to practice this when I am not around." She nodded her head in acceptance. "I will." She replied. "Ben?" Rey asked.

Ben looked to her and was caught in that hazel gaze. He would never get over how beautiful she was, he thought. "Yes?" he asked. "Ben. How did you talk to me through our minds last night?" She was genuinely curious as to how he had made that connection. "Rey, when we bonded our minds became joined. I have been able to hear your thoughts as if they were my own, but only when your defenses are down. Last night you had let the wall around your mind down and I was able to connect to you for the first time." He explained. He expected her to be angry that he had essentially hidden the fact that he has had access to her thoughts and feelings but was surprised when she just looked contemplative at his explanation. "That's why I could feel your panic while you were dreaming?" She asked. "Yes." Kylo said. "You can feel my feelings and sense my thoughts just as I can yours." He explained. "Hmm." She said. "Well I don't know if I'll ever get used to this." She laughed. Kylo smiled at her, relieved that she wasn't attacking him after his explanation. "Rey, the connection is fading. I have to go anyway. Please practice meditation and well talk later." Kylo said. Rey nodded. "I can feel it to. I need to get back to base before Finn and Poe come searching for me." She replied. Kylo tried to hide the disgust at the mention of the pilot and traitor and simply smiled at Rey as she faded away.

Rey couldn't a have been anymore happy as she was right now. She was finally learning. Ben told her to practice and she wasn't going to let him down. Rey picked up her bag and staff and made her way back to the base, thinking of Ben the entire way.


	9. Chapter 9 Taking control

Kylo Ren made his way to the command deck. He steps filled the empty corridors with loud aggressive thumps. Kylo made sure that he masked his emotions since leaving his quarters. He was anything but angry when he left his chambers and it was hard for him to hide the cheerful feelings that his impromptu lesson with Rey had brought forward. She had been so sure that she could meditate without him and he couldn't help but smile at how passionate and independent she was. She had been left on Jakku at such a young age that she had to be self sufficient and he could tell that it bothered her to have to ask for help.

Kylo knew though that while he was not alone in his quarters and out in the ships open areas he would need to still hold onto his authority and be feared by each subordinate. He began to think about the things that would make him angry. His usual go to thoughts were of Luke's betrayal and not being able to snuff out the Resistance, but in this moment the only thought that made Kylo angry was the thought of Rey's last statement. "I need to get back to base before Finn and Poe come searching for me." She had said. For some reason the thought of that traitor and the pilot being around her vying for her affections made Kylo's blood boil. He clenched his fists and the leather of his gloves cracked at the pressure.

Kylo had finally made it to the command deck and was automatically greeted by none other than General Hux. "Supreme leader." Hux said snidely with a small bow of his head. Kylo acted like he didn't hear the tone in Hux's greeting. "General." Kylo replied. "Tell me. Do you have any updates on the location of the Resistance?"

"N-no. Supreme Leader. We are working on it but we lost them as soon as they left Crai-" Hux's hands flew to his neck and his face had started to turn red with his mouth open and getting no air in his lungs. "That sounds like an excuse General." Kylo said as he held Hux in a force choke. "And I have no time for your excuses or incompetence. Shall I remove you from your post and find someone who can actually do their job?" Hux couldn't respond and was clawing at his throat now. Kylo released the pathetic mad and Hux crumpled to the ground coughing. "No, Supreme Leader. We will find them." He choked out. "Good." Kylo responded. "The sooner the better." Then Kylo marched off the command deck not even looking twice at the general.

General Hux was left gasping for air, red faced and furious. He couldn't stand the new " _supreme leader." This And he knew Kylo didn't deserve the title. However, Kylo was Snoke's apprentice and one of the few force users on the side of the First Order, which meant Hux was stuck pretending to be loyal to a man, no a boy he despised with his entire being._

 _That was okay though. General Hux was smart, and manipulative. He knew that he would weather this storm far better than Kylo Ren would. He was going to have to prove to everyone what he knew. Kylo Ren was a traitor who killed Snoke the true supreme leader. Hux had pretended to believe Kylo Ren when he had said that scavenger had killed Snoke. Did anyone really believe that lie? How could a girl untrained and just learning the way of the force defeat Snoke? Anyone who believed Kylo Ren was a blubbering idiot, Hux thought._

 _Well Hux was no fool and he was ready to begin working on a plan to show the entire galaxy just what a murderous traitor Kylo Ren was._

Rey made her way back to the resistance base enjoying her long walk back. All the time in space had mad her miss the sun dearly. She had walked out of the forest and into the clearing that lay before the base. Rey stopped, closed her eyes and lifter her face to the sun taking in the warmth on her skin and enjoying the quiet around her.

Poe stood by the entrance to the base. He was just about to go searching for her in the woods when she came out of the forest headed back to the base. He watched her silently, seeing her close her eyes and lift her face to the sun. A smile spread on her face and Poe couldn't help but feel his on mouth turn up in a large grin. He watched her for what felt like hours. The sun touching her already bronzed skin and the wind softly blowing the pieces of hair that had come loose from her buns. She was absolutely stunning, Poe thought. There was no one like her and Poe constantly felt drawn to her. Suddenly Rey opened her eyes and looked directly at him. Poe froze for a moment feeling awkward that he had been caught staring at her. He recovered quickly though and smiled to Rey and waved. Rey smiled back and headed in his direction.

Rey was embarrassed that she hadn't noticed Poe looking at her and could feel a like flush hit her cheeks. Poe had caught her off guard enjoying the sunlight and in a more vulnerable state than Rey preferred to be in. She smiled back at him and headed toward him and the base. She was within earshot now to Poe. "It's so gorgeous out here today! I really don't want to spend the day inside." She said. Poe smiled. "I'm sure there is something that we can find to do out here Rey." He said. Rey. What a perfect name for her he though to himself. She was bright like the sun herself, bringing light, joy and hope everywhere she went.

"So, what do you think we could do today then?" Rey asked now standing right in front of Poe. "Well we have a few ships that we found when we arrived here that need some work. We could drag them outside and work on them. How's that sound?" He said. Rey beamed. She loved working on the ships and being outside in this weather was just an added bonus. "That sounds like the best thing I've ever heard." She said. Poe couldn't help but mirror her smile, it was too contagious. "Alright then. Let's get some breakfast and then we will get to work." Poe said putting an arm around her shoulders and starting to walk to the mess hall. "Sounds great! I'm starved!" said Rey.

The two of them went to the mess hall and had breakfast with Finn. Telling jokes and laughing the entire time, their breakfast went by quickly. Once everyone had finished Poe and Rey headed to the hanger where they could start working and Finn went back to stay with Rose. She was due to wake up soon and Finn wanted to be there for her when she did.

Poe and Rey began working on different ships that were docked next to each other for the next several hours. Poe would look over at Rey often catching glimpses of her hard at work and slightly sweaty. He couldn't help himself. They more he got to know Rey the more he wanted to know about her. He hoped that she felt the same about him. That she wanted to get to know everything about him too. Poe was beginning to feel like it would break his heart if she ever decided she wanted nothing to do with him. He looked back down at the circuit board that he was currently repairing and thinking about her. They worked in silence most of the time just enjoying the hard labor and quiet. Sometimes Poe would look over to Rey and tell a small joke just to make her laugh and smile at him. He still couldn't get over how much he loved those two things.

The sun had begun to set, and it was quickly getting dark outside. "How bout we grab some dinner there darlin'. We seemed to work all the way through lunch." Poe said to Rey. She was surprised at the small term of endearment he used towards her, but she smiled anyway. Poe was her friend, he was allowed to talk to her like that right? "Sure! I'm famished." Rey said with a chuckle. She stood up and wiped her hands of the grease and oil from the engine and followed Poe into the base ready for supper. Poe put his arm around Rey's shoulders again as they walked to the mess hall. He couldn't help but think that she was liking him as much as he liked her. She didn't say anything about him calling her darling and both times today she didn't shrug or shake him off as he put his arms around her shoulders as the walked around the base. Poe was all but certain that they would be together and sooner than later and that made him more happy than he had ever been in his whole life.


	10. Chapter 10 Possession

Finn had been waiting for Rey and Poe in the mess hall and we he saw them walk through the door a small look of surprise fluttered over his face has he saw Poe's arm wrapped around Rey's shoulders. The moment was fleeting and he all but jumped out of his seat. "She's awake! Rose is awake!" he shouted. Rey let a big smile overtake her face. "That's great Finn! How is she doing?" she asked. "She's alright. Still sore and doesn't remember everything very clearly but the medic said that should come back to her the more she recovers." Finn said. Rey was happy to see Finn so excited and happy, the past few weeks had been difficult for him.

sat down at the table and Poe brought her a tray of food and sat next to her at the table. Finn sat across from the two and talked nonstop about Rose and her condition has he stuffed his face with food. He must have skipped lunch as well, Rey thought laughing to herself. She continued eating and her mind began to wander to her lesson with Ben this morning. Had it really only been this morning? She thought. It felt like it had been months ago and Rey had to admit that she was missing him. Rey wanted to see him again and soon. She felt something so different around him. Like the world would disappear around her and there was only him. Only Ben.

"Rey!" Finn said loudly looking at right at her. Rey jumped and let out a small smile. "Sorry I was in my own world. What's up?" Finn eyed her curiously. "We were just talking about how fast the resistance is growing. We maybe ready to go after the First Order again soon, and hopefully we can finally take out Kylo Ren." The way Finn had said, "Take out Kylo Ren" made her stomach drop and her small smile disappear. She quickly recovered her emotions though and hoped that no one noticed the small change. "That's great Finn. Just let me know what I can do to help." Finn smiled back at her, happy to see that she was eager to end the First Order as much as he was. "You got it Rey!" Finn began cleaning up his tray and moving away from the table. "I'm going to go check on Rose. See ya later!" He said waving and leaving the hall.

Rey thought no one had caught her slight change in emotions when Finn brought up ending the First Order but more importantly Kylo Ren, but Poe had. Rey hadn't noticed that Poe had been watching her carefully as Finn had been talking to her. He saw the anger, fear, and sadness run through her within a few short seconds before she composed herself enough to respond to Finn. Poe wondered why she might have these reactions to Finn's statement but couldn't come up with anything, until he realized that this was still all so new to Rey. She had just begun with the Resistance not even 4 months ago and her life has totally changed. Of course, she would be angry and sad at the tasks she was now being asked to do. Of course, she was scared. She feared Kylo Ren and the First Order. This made Poe angry inside. He would protect her he vowed to himself. He wouldn't let that dog get anywhere near her to hurt her. Rey was to pure to innocent to let someone like Kylo Ren corrupt and ruin her. Poe smiled at Rey and was thankful that she returned that smile. "Well I think I'm going to head to my room to sleep." Rey said. "It's been a long day and I'm exhausted." Poe felt a little sad at that but didn't let it show. "Absolutely!" He said. "I'll walk with you." The two of them cleaned up their dinner and headed out of the mess hall.

Poe stood with Rey outside of her door talking about what they could do tomorrow on the ships they had been working on today. Rey opened the door to her room and was about to walk in to retire for the night. "Night Poe. I'll see you in the morning." Poe didn't want to miss the opportunity and quickly wrapped Rey up in a hug standing just outside the open door. Rey was to shocked to say or do anything. Before she could get her bearings, she felt that familiar tug in her mind and the room went silent around her. She looked to her right inside her room and saw him. She saw Ben. He was standing there dressed all in black with his hands at his sides and his face was as hard as stone. She could she Ben clench his fists at his sides making his arms shake. She had to get rid of Poe and talk to Ben. "Thanks Poe. Goodnight." She said gently has she put her arms on his biceps and pushed him away. "Night darlin." Poe said with a wink and then walked away. Rey shook her head she couldn't understand what was happening around her. Never mind that now, she though. Rey quickly entered her room and shut the door and was standing face to face with a stone-cold Ben.

Ben could feel the rage boiling in his body. He wanted so badly to kill that pilot. How dare he touch her. She was his. He had seen it in the vision when they touched hands so long ago. She would stand by his side and he was still going to make that happen. Rey was his and would always be his. He vowed that when the day came that pilot would not make it out alive. Ben tried his hardest to keep his emotions in check. He knew Rey would not respond well to what he wanted to do. When he had appeared in front of her and saw that _filthtouching her he wanted to walk straight through the force bond and end is tiny life._

"Ben?" Rey asked softly, drawing him out of his thoughts of murdering the insignificant pilot. He looked at her and softened the moment he saw her eyes. She was looking at him concerned. "Are you alright?" she asked. Ben couldn't help but snigger at her question, "Not as well as you apparently." He said. That confused her. "What?" she asked, and Ben just stared at her. "Poe?" Rey said, and Ben rolled his eyes and turned away from her. "Ben, Poe is just my friend. That's all he will ever be." She said softly to him walking closer. "That didn't seem like friendship." He snapped back. "Seemed well on its way past friendship." That made Rey angry. "What do you care?" she retorted. Ben spun around with fire in his eyes. "What do you mean what do I care?" He said through gritted teeth. "I didn't think that was a confusing question Ben. What do you care? Why does it matter to you at all whether or not I am with someone like Poe?!" She shouted at him now. Her blood was boiling and coursing through her veins lot hot fire. Rey could feel the force around them. It was so strong and electric it was almost tangible. "I care because you are supposed to be with me, not some irrelevant resistance Pilot." Ben wasn't shouting at her. He was much more quiet. His voice was deep and filled with rage. She could feel that he was ready to explode with how angry seeing her with Poe had made him. She couldn't understand why but she wanted to reach out to him and show him that she didn't want Poe.

Rey didn't realize how close they were until she looked down and realized they were nearly touching. Her closeness had surprised him as well, but he had to admit that with her so near he could feel the calmness take over him. Her light called to him like always. "Rey." He said. Ben brushed the back of his gloved hand against her cheek. He couldn't help himself, he had wanted to touch her again ever since the night in her hut. Rey didn't pull away and she self-confessed that she didn't want to. He was so close to her and her heart was beating fast and loud. "Ben." She said back.

Ben cupped her cheek with his hand, his fingers touching the side of her neck and hair. His thumb brushed her cheek repeatedly and Rey closed her eyes and leaned her face into his touch. She couldn't resist. There was something about him that soothed her soul. It brought her peace. It brought her balance. "I don't want Poe, Ben. I told you that night on the Falcon. I don't want anything, but you and I wasn't lying. I haven't wanted anything but you since we touched that first night." Said admitted to him while blushing furiously. Ben couldn't take his eyes off her. She was too beautiful, and he didn't ever want to look away. He was aching to get closer to her, to feel her against him. He wanted so badly to kiss her in that moment but wasn't sure how she would react which caused him to falter. "Rey. That's all I want too." Ben said softly. "Then come here Ben. Join me. Join us." Rey said hopefully. Ben let his hand drop from her face, "I can't." he said turning away again.

She instantly felt the warmth leave her skin on her cheek and she missed it dearly. "What do you mean Ben? You can come back here and help us fight." She said. "You are asking me to do the same thing that you refused to do Rey." Ben said still facing the wall. That irritated her. No, she wasn't she was asking him to fight for the light. To fight for the good side. "That's not true and you know it. The First Order murders and kills thousands of innocents." She said back angrily. "And what does the resistance do Rey?" He shot back. She looked at him bewildered that he could even ask such a question. She folded her arms across her chest and then narrowed her eyes at him. "Not that." She said irritably.

"No?" Ben asked. "You don't think that they would take hostages or prisoners if they thought they had first order intel? You don't think they are as ruthless as the First Order?" Ben kept going. "You are only blinding yourself Rey. You fight for a side that calls itself good, because it fights for the light. When, in reality, it just fights for its own cause. They can be just as cruel and just as callous as the First Order Rey." He finished.

Rey was confused by this. Was he really comparing the First Order who destroyed planets and systems just for not swearing loyalty, to the resistance that has fought to help free the people for a tyrannical government. He was out of his mind. Never once had she seen anyone in the resistance treat a prisoner the way the first order treated prisoners. She looked back into his eyes. "Are you really that far from the light Ben?" She asked quietly. Ben could hear the sadness, and disappointment in her voice. Something inside of him broke. Ben looked at her and was starting to clear the distance that they had let come between them when suddenly she disappeared.

"DAMMIT!" Ben yelled. Grabbing his light saber and igniting the crimson blade. He began destroying the training room he was in. There was nothing, but the pieces of target droids and dummies incinerated all around the room. Ben sat on his knees panting to catch his breath. He felt so confused at the emotions inside of him. He wanted to run to Rey, wherever she was. He wanted to hold her and fight for her, but he knew that was an impossibility. Surveying the training room Ben realized it was in shambles and so was he.


	11. Chapter 11 Conflict

The last thing Rey saw before he disappeared was Ben crossing the room to get to her. She had steadied herself for his touch and was ready for it, but before he could reach her, the connection broke leaving her alone in the dim lit room. She felt empty without him there with her.

Rey dropped herself onto her bed. She laid there stretched out with her arms above her head and starting at the ceiling and thinking about her conversation with Ben. How could he even begin to compare the First Order to the Resistance. Her face contorted in confusion. Ben said that they could be just as cruel and callous as the First Order. What did he mean by that? She had never seen anyone in the Resistance act in a way that would be considered cruel or callous. Sure, the resistance had killed storm toopers and First Order delegates, but that was part of their cause, right? To take down the First Order they would have to kill its leaders. But why now when Rey was thinking about this did it feel wrong. She couldn't justify in her mind killing anyone and it was starting to cause her great confusion.

Rey sat up and put her legs on the side of the bed with her feet on the floor. She rested her elbows on her knees and held her head in her hands. Why was she feeling so conflicted all of the sudden? Rey was having a hard time being okay with either side of this war at the moment. How could she justify the killing of anyone? She knew this was war, and wars were messy, but after Bens comment she wasn't sure if either side was actually right or wrong. He said that the Resistance was just fighting for their own belief. But wasn't that what the First Order was doing? Weren't they fighting for what they believed?

Rey could feel the force flowing strongly around her. She looked up and realized that everything in her room was floating in midair. It scared her and, in that moment, in that slight change in emotions, caused everything around her to drop.

 _"Rey." Ben said in her mind. "Rey you have to relax." Ben could feel her anger and confusion even though they were lightyears away from each other. Her emotions were flowing through him like they were his own, and he hated how familiar her emotions felt to his. He could tell she was struggling and he was kicking himself for being the reason she was so conflicted now._

 _"Ben." She replied. "What is happening?"_

 _"You are accessing the dark side of the force Rey because you are angry with me." Ben said._

That confused her. She wasn't angry with him. She was angry with the conflict inside of her. She was angry at this war. She was angry that he wasn't with her.

 _"I'm sorry Rey." Ben said. "I didn't mean to cause doubt in your mind."_

 _"Ben, I'm not mad at you. I'm confused. I'm upset. Ben, I feel so alone when you aren't here." She admitted. Ben couldn't help but smile at her admission._

 _"I know Rey. I feel it too." He said._

 _"Ben. What do we do?" Rey asked her head down and shoulders slumping._

 _"I don't know." Ben said quietly. She could hear the frustration, sadness and exhaustion in his voice._

 _"Me either." She responded. "Ben. Get some rest. Well talk again soon."_

 _"You too Rey." Ben said. He used his energy to send a wave of warmth through her and she relished in the feeling and then he was gone._

Rey felt the exhaustion overtake her. She changed into her sleeping tunic and left her legs bare. She crawled back into bed and fell asleep the moment she placed her head against her pillow.

Ben sat on the floor in front of his bed with his back resting against the side. He was wearing only his black sleeping pants and his chest was bare. He had one knee raised towards his chest and rested his arm there. His head rested against the bed tilting his face toward the ceiling of the ship. He couldn't stop thinking about her. About Rey. What mess have I gotten myself into, he thought to himself. At her admission of being alone without him, he wanted nothing more than to get into his ship and fly to her so that she would never feel alone again. But he couldn't do that. They both knew it. If he left now the First Order would never stop hunting him and if he went to the resistance they would surely execute him for his crimes. He was stuck. Stuck with the First Order. Alone. Bens frustration overtook him as he quickly stood up and used the force to grab anything possible and began smashing it against the walls of his bedroom.

The floor was covered in broken glass, metal, and plastic. Ben was standing in the middle of the wreckage breathing hard and looking at the destruction he had caused. The same destruction he had caused in Rey tonight. He could never be with Rey, he thought. She might be his salvation but, he would only cause her devastation. He was too dark for her light and would ruin her. Ben's eyes filled with tears and spilled onto his cheeks. All of the anger left his body and was replaced with something worse. Regret. It washed over him like a cold shower. Regret for everything he had ever done. He regretted killing the other jedi younglings, joining the First Order, for killing Han Solo, and most of all regretting that he would never be able to be with Rey.

Ben walked to his bed and flung himself down on the black sheets. He turned on his side and thought of the night when the force had brought Rey to him while she slept. She was stunning even when she was asleep. He remembered her hair falling on her shoulders that were covered in specks of freckles. Her face had been peaceful, and her cheek was soft when he had touched it. Then she had said his name. From her lovely pink lips, she had murmured his name, twice. Ben wanted nothing more than for her to be with him right now in this very moment.

Ben laid in bed for hours thinking of Rey, before exhaustion and sleep finally overtook him. There were no nightmares tonight. Only sweet dreams of him and Rey far from the First Order and Republic.

Rey awoke early the next morning feeling slightly more refreshed than normal. She was thinking about her conversation with Ben and remembered the struggle she felt last night at Ben's statement of the Resistance being just as bad as the First Order. He had apologized for making her feel that way and she decided to let her inner conflict go for the moment. Rey stood up and headed to the refresher to get ready for the day. She had taken a shower and dressed herself in her usual tunic, pants and arm wraps. Rey had just finished putting her hair half up with a single bun in the back when someone knocked on her door.

Rey opened the door to find Poe standing with a big grin on his face. "Good Morning darlin'." He said. "Good Morning." She said back. "You ready for breakfast and then fixing up those ships?" Poe asked her. "Absolutely!" She said. They walked out of Rey's room and to the mess hall for breakfast.

After breakfast Poe and Rey walked back out to the ships they were working on yesterday and started up again. They didn't say much to each other and just enjoyed the company as they worked with something they loved. Rey was underneath one of the old ships when she heard it. The noise was faint and seemed far away, but it was definitely there. She looked up and scanned the area but didn't see anything that would have been making the muffled humming and suddenly the noise disappeared. She shook her head thinking that maybe she was just imagining things, "You okay?" Poe asked. She looked over to see a look of concern on his face. She hadn't realized that he had been watching her. "Yea I'm Fine." She said with a smile. "Just thought I heard something." Poe smiled back at her and they both went back to work on their ships.

The two of them continued working throughout the day until the sun was setting. They almost had both ships up and running and felt proud of the work they had accomplished in just two days. Poe and Rey headed to dinner. They ate with Finn and played a couple of rounds of pazaak. By the time they called it a night it was well into the next morning. Poe walked Rey back to her room and gave her another hug like he did the night before, but he lingered longer than she felt necessary. She hugged him back for a short moment and then gently pulled away. "Night Poe." She said. "Night Darlin'." He returned. He watched her close her door and then slowly walked back to his own room grinning the whole time.

Rey readied herself for bed like usual. She climbed under the sheets and laid down. Right as she was drifting to sleep the faint humming noise came back. Rey shot out of bed and looked around. She couldn't find the source of the noise. She took a couple of steps towards the door and realized that even though it was still very dim the humming noise had gotten a touch louder when she headed in that direction. Rey quickly redressed and began following the humming noise out of her bedroom and out of the base.


	12. Chapter 12 My Light

**Hey guys! Thank you so much for all the reviews, likes and follows!! Hope you guys like this as much as I like writing it!!**

The air was warm and sticky with humidity against Rey's skin making her sweat. She had grabbed her staff and took off out of the base as fast as she could and without looking back. Rey had been walking for at least an hour, but she noticed the humming that she was hearing was becoming louder with each step. It was no longer just the humming pulling her forward, but the Force. Rey could feel it all around her urging her forward, practically pushing her.

Rey walked for another 10 minutes and the humming had become so loud it was starting to make her head hurt and the force was so intense around her she felt like she could barely breathe. She stopped just a few feet outside of the opening of a cave. The mouth of the cave was pitch black and Rey could feel her heart racing in her chest. She took another step forward and the noise increased again. The cave was the right direction and Rey was terrified. She walked into the mouth of the cave and the tunnel gently sloped and curved to the right, then the left and back to the right. The path underneath her feet eventual leveled out and Rey could see lights at the end of the tunnel. They were dim from afar but the closer she got the brighter the lights became. Rey continued forward, the humming noise becoming louder and the force tugging at her. She stepped out of the tunnel and into a large open cavern.

The room was made from rocks and every which way she looked she saw crystals. Blue, green, yellow, purple, and green. Rey's mouth fell open. She couldn't believe where she was. She was staring at crystals. Crystals that she maybe able to use to build a light saber. The humming was roaring in her ears and the force was yanking her in the direction of one of the crystal clusters. She stepped in front of a mass of clear crystals. They sparkled in the light and reflected the colors of the other crystals making it not just clear but multi colored. Rey knelt on one knee and reached out to the base pulling a crystal from the bunch. The moment her fingers closed around the crystal the humming ceased instantly. However, the force continued to ebb and flow around her.

Rey felt a small tug at the back of her mind and everything around her went silent. She looked around for him waiting for his image to appear. Suddenly he was in front of her. She looked up to see Ben only in his black sleeping pants and bare chested. Rey could feel her cheeks flush instantly. Ben was standing over her kneeling form with a glass in his hand. He looked down at her, his brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you doing?" He asked her. Rey beamed up at him. She couldn't hide her excitement in this moment. "Ben." She said smiling wide. "What Rey?" He said. "Ben, look." Rey held stood up and held her closed fist out to him. She turned her hand upward and slowly opened her fingers reveling the small crystal sitting in her palm. Ben looked astonished. "How? Where did you find that Rey?" He asked. "Where are you? Are you on Ilum?" He continued rapidly giving her no chance to respond. "Ben, you know I can't tell you where I am." She said softly closing her fist back over the crystal and dropping her hand back to her side. His response made her sad in a way. She should have known better than to show it to him. He was only going to want to know where she was so that he could find her and the resistance.

"Rey. Stop." He said. "I am excited for you. I was just surprised to see that you had found a crystal." Ben was trying to ease her discomfort at how the conversation had started. Rey looked up to him. Her eyes pierced him and froze him in place. "I'm sorry Ben." She said. Ben reached out and cupped her cheek. "You have nothing to be sorry for Rey." Ben said running his thumb over her cheek. "Have you read the texts?" He asked. "Yes." Rey said. "But they are so old I had trouble deciphering some of them." She admitted. Ben still had her cheek cupped. He couldn't stand not touching her. "Would you like help building your saber?" He asked her dipping his chin to look at her. "Really?" Rey asked back excitedly. "Of Course." Ben said, and he smiled at her. At the sight of his smile Rey's heart raced in her chest. "I would love that." She said softly to him and smiled. Rey placed her empty hand on top of Bens hand that was cupping her cheek. They both felt the Force grow in strength when their fingers touched. Rey closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

Ben couldn't stop staring at her. She was so beautiful. She had closed her eyes and her leaned into his touch. Oh, how so much had changed. Before she would have been fighting him off with every weapon and defense she had. But ever since the first time they touched, she wasn't afraid of him anymore. She was comforted by him and accepting of him and his touch. Ben couldn't help but close his eyes too. He had thought before that she was making him weak, but the more he was around her the surer about himself he felt. He felt stronger around her, like her light wasn't a downfall but a strength. When she wasn't near he felt empty and weak. Looking for the dark anger to make him strong again. Ben felt her move from his touch and before he could open his eyes her arms wrapped around his waist and she rested her head against his chest. Ben's eyes snapped open and he stood frozen. Rey breathed deep and let out a soft sigh and that was all it took to make Ben relax. He wrapped his arms around Rey and rested his head on top of hers, breathing in her hair. She smelled wonderful. Like a flower that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Rey could hear his heart where her head was placed on his chest. She had snuggled in closer, breathed deep, and sighed at how he smelled. He smelt of clean soap and mint. His chest was bear and warm against her cheek. She felt his arms wrap around her and his head rest on hers. They stood this way for just a couple of minutes saying nothing and enjoying the company. Rey and Ben felt it at the same time. The connection was fading. They both looked at each other still wrapped in the other's arms. "Rey." Ben said. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. Rey closed her eyes enjoying the touch. When she opened her eyes, he was gone. Rey couldn't help but stand there and smile. Ben was going to come back. She just knew it.

Ben opened his eyes, still leaning down to see that Rey was no longer in front of him. He dropped his arms back to his sides. He smiled. Everything about that connection put joy in his heart. Ben could feel the strength from her through their connection pulse through him. He had had enough. Ben was ready to come home. "But how?" he whispered to himself. His smile faded, and misery flooded through his body. There was no way to get to her. If he left, he would be an enemy of the first order and the Resistance would never take him in. They would execute him the moment he landed wherever they were. Dread and anger took over him again. His strength was gone, because his light was no longer near.

Rey left the cave and stepped out into the dim light of the sunrise. She could still feel the humidity against her skin and the smile on her face. Rey ran the entire way back to the base. It only took her half the time to get back as it did to get to the cave. She ran into the base almost frantically in her excitement. She needed to see Leia to see if this was truly a light saber crystal. To get to Leia she had to pass her room. Rey was running full speed and didn't see Poe standing by her door as she rounded the corner and collided with him head on. Rey let out a small yelp and started to fall after the collision, but Poe wrapped his arms around her and caught her around the waist before she could hit the ground.

"Woah! Woah! Easy Rey!" Poe said looking concerned. "What's wrong? What's happening" Poe asked growing more nervous. Rey just smiled at him and showed him the crystal. Poe looked down into her open hand and his jaw dropped open and his eyes went wide. "Is that a-?" He stammered. "I think so Poe." Rey said excitedly. She realized in that moment that his arms were still around her waist and she gently pulled out of his grip. "I have to go see Leia." Rey said, and she started running again towards Leia's room.

Poe just watched her run off. A smile overtook his whole face. She had nearly knocked them both out, but he was able to catch her before she fell. His arms around her waist, she fit so perfectly in his arms, he thought. She had found a crystal, and he couldn't even begin to understand how. That woman was astounding and would never stop amazing him. Poe smiled and walked to the mess hall for breakfast thinking about how he could spend more time with her.


	13. Chapter 13 Confession

Rey ran through the halls of the new Resistance base as fast as she could. By the time she reached Leia's door she was out of breath and sweating from the exhaustion. She knocked furiously on the door and didn't stop until it opened. Leia's eyes looked bewildered as she took in Rey's appearance. "Rey! What's wrong? What's going on?!" She asked starting to panic. Rey was still panting from her run to Leia's room. She couldn't say or do anything but smile. Rey looked at Leia and held out her hand and opened her fist, showing Leia the crystal. Leia looked down at Rey's open hand and her eyes widened. "Is that?" she said. "Of course, it is!" Leia answered her own question. "My Force! Rey get in here! We have to talk." Leia said allowing Rey to enter her room.

They sat down in Leia's small sitting area and stared in awe at the crystal in Rey's hand. Leia broke the silence first. "Dear. That's a Dantari Crystal. How in the name of Force did you find this?" She asked dumbfounded. Rey frowned slightly at that. A Dantari crystal? That was no good to her then right? She needed a Kyber crystal for a light saber. "I. I don't know. I heard this humming noise and then I felt the force tugging and pushing me forward to it." Rey said no longer excited like she was before. Leia could sense the change in Rey and wasn't understanding where her sudden disappointment was coming from. "Rey. Dear. Why happened to the excitement that you had coming here?" She asked. "Are you nervous about making your own light saber?" Rey couldn't help but let out a small amused chuckle. "Not at all." She said. "But I can't build a light saber yet can I? Not without a kyber crystal." Rey continued disappointed by it all.

Understanding dawned over Leia. This girl was so new to all of this and didn't know that the crystal in her hand was exactly what she needed. "Rey. You have exactly what you need to build your light saber." Leia said looking directly at Rey. "Dantari Crystals are not kyber crystals, however they are also used for building light sabers. They were used long ago and not as common now as the kyber crystal, but just as effective if not better." Rey looked up eyes wide. "You mean I can still use this?" She asked. Leia let smiled and let out a soft laugh, "Yes my dear. You can use this crystal to build your light saber." Rey couldn't believe her ears. This was what she needed. All the conflict and confusion she had been feeling was washing away and being replaced with hope. Leia continued smiling at her. "Now I am not too certain on how to actually build a light saber, but you have all of the Jedi texts right?" She asked. Rey nodded her head yes. "Well then we will work as hard as we can to get you your new saber as soon as possible." Leia promised. Rey couldn't help but feel guilt wash over her as she thought about Ben and her connection to Leia's son. He had also offered to help her with this task.

Leia could sense the change again in Rey. The girl wore her emotions on her sleeve and was very easy to read. "Rey, what's wrong?" Leia asked. Rey looked up at her with regret, guilt, and shame written all over her face. "Leia, I have something I want to tell you about but I'm so ashamed." She said. Leia placed a hand on Rey's knee. "Dear. You have nothing to be ashamed about and you can tell me anything." She said earnestly. Rey looked back at Leia grateful for the woman who had become like a mother to her. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It started on Ach To when I went to find Luke." Rey said slowly. "Somehow the force has connected Ben and I. The force pulls us to each other and we can talk, and we can touch as if we are in the same place. He appeared to me when I found the crystal and offered to help me build my saber." Rey let this all out in a rush hoping that the faster she got it out the less upset Leia would be with her. Leia continued to stare at the girl processing all the information that she had just been told. "He offered to help you build your light saber?" She asked with a small smile. "You can touch each other? How do you know this? Have you touched?" Leia continued.

Rey's cheeks instantly felt warm and she knew they were blazing on her skin. "Yes, to everything. He said he would help me decipher the texts to build my light saber, and we have touched. First on Ach To, we just touched hands and then later here in the base. In my room he touched my cheek." Leia smiled widely this time. She couldn't help but smile knowing that her son was falling for this wonderful young woman in front of her. "Dear you have nothing to be ashamed of. This connection was willed by the force and I don't think either of you had much of a choice in it did you?" Rey shook her head no. "Leia, he's still there. Ben. I've seen it. I feel it every time he appears to me I can feel the light." She said eagerly. "It's small but there and he fights it constantly. I can tell he feels that he is too far gone to deserve anything that is good." Leia's eyes crinkle as she smiles and nods her head. "Yes, dear I know he is still there and he will come back. He just needed something more to come back to and that something more is you. You will be the light in his darkness." Rey smiles at Leia. "Thank you." Rey says. "Sweet girl you have nothing to thank me for." Leia replies. "However, I do think that we should keep this connection to ourselves for now okay? People may get the wrong idea and think you are assisting Ben in some way which we know you are not." Rey nodded her head in agreement as her lips pressed into a hard line.

"Now you go on and start reading through how to build that saber so that when Ben returns you two can make progress." Leia winks at her. Rey cannot help but throw her arms around her and thank her again. Leia let Rey out and watched her walk off to her room. She couldn't help but smile. She had known from the moment she met Rey that the girl was something special, but she never realized until now that she would be the one to save Ben. He had offered to help the girl build her new weapon that could be used to strike him down, and he didn't seem to care. Leia knew that Ben had let Rey into his heart even if he didn't.

Rey headed directly to her room and pulled the Jedi Texts out from small trunk at the end of her bed. She spread them out on her flood and was about to start reading when she decided to first grab some of the brown cording that she had sitting on her nightstand. She carefully wrapped the cording around the top of the crystal to hold it in place and cut the cord long enough to wrap around her neck. Rey tied the cord and felt the small crystal touch her skin just underneath her collarbone. It was cool, and she could feel the energy rolling off it and into her body. Rey quickly sat down on the floor and began pouring herself over every word and every image in the books.

It took hours before she could find anything that actually applied to what she was looking for right now. She had read every word and every page and was finding nothing until now. She found a section naming different types of crystals for light sabers and found Dantari Crystals. She couldn't help but be fascinated by this. She had learned that the Dantari crystals were native to Dantooine and that they are supposed to reflect the alignment of the wielder. She read about each color crystal that she saw and the amazing abilities of the Dantari Crystals. These crystals would help the user better focus at recovering their spent force energies often helping them recycle the energy of combat back into their force powers. Rey read for hours more looking for information on what she needed and how to assemble an actual saber. She hadn't realized how late it was and how exhausted she was after not sleeping in almost 36 hours that she ended up sprawled out on the floor of her room surrounded by the Jedi texts, fast asleep.


	14. Chapter 14 Touched

Poe had been out flying all day testing the ship that he and Rey had been working on. He had been hoping that she would have gone with him, but he hadn't seen or heard from him since she ran into him in the hallways early that morning. He had gone to the mess hall at about the normal time that they had dinner every day and Poe saw Finn and Rose eating together, but Rey was no where to be found. Disappointment flooded his body, but he decided to stay and eat with Finn and Rose.

"Hey Rose, how you feeling?" Poe asked as he sat down with his tray. Rose looked up at Poe and smiled. "I'm doing much better now that I am out of the medic wing. I was going crazy." They all laughed and continued talking about Rose's recovery and getting her up to speed with everything that has happened since she was injured.

"Have you guy's seen Rey?" Poe asked suddenly. He was starting to get worried about her. It wasn't normal for her to just not show up for meals or at all really. "No. I haven't seen her at all today. She wasn't her for breakfast or lunch either." Finn said. Poe just nodded at Finn. "I'm going to see if I can find her and make sure that she is okay." He said. Finn and Rose nodded their heads and continued their dinner.

Poe got up and threw out his meal and placed his tray in the deposit location. He headed to one of the training rooms that Rey commonly used and found it dark and empty. He continued on to one of the hangers that he knew she liked to work in because it was quiet and no one else really liked that area. Again, the room was dark and quiet. Poe was really starting to worry about her. This was not common for Rey to not be around without telling someone where she was going. He thought he would check her room and if she wasn't there he would find General Leia and get help finding her.

Poe came to a stop at Rey's room and knocked gently on the door. There was no response. He knocked again a little harder and there was still no response. Poe entered the standard security code and the door opened in front of him. He stepped into Rey's room to find her laying on the floor with her head using her arms as a pillow and one hand laying on top of an open book. He could see the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. A small light was on in the corner of the room and washed over her face gently. Poe smiled at how beautiful and peaceful she looked. She must have been exhausted and have just fallen asleep here on the floor.

He walked over to her quietly, kneeled down, and placed an arm under her knees and head to lift her up. Poe stood up and walked Rey to her bed laying her down gently. Her hair spread across the pillow framing her beautiful face. Poe pulled the blanket up around her and sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb her. One strand of unruly hair had stuck to her lip and he gently tucked it back on the side of her face. He looked at her closely loving the chance to really be able to study her features. He took in everything, her eyes, nose, and full but petite lips. His eyes trailed down to her chin and neck when they landed on the brown cord laying on her collar bone. He reached out and softly touched the skin around the cord picking up the crystal that was hanging here. Poe was curious about what the crystal was but figured he would ask her in the morning.

He stood up gently not wanting to wake her. Poe looked down at the sleeping Rey and couldn't help but grin. She was going to be his, he could feel it. He leaned down again and softly placed his lips on her forehead. Rey stirred slightly but continued to sleep. Poe pulled the covers up one last time and made his way out of her room, never knowing how close to death he was since Kylo Ren had been pulled by the force to her and saw everything.

Kylo Ren had been in his training rooms, slashing droids to pieces when he felt the connection starting to form. He couldn't help but smile knowing that he was just about to see her again. He didn't have a shirt on again and her remembered how sweet she looked every time she would see him without one. Her cheeks would blush, and she would look down and away from him. She didn't know, but he saw how she would peek up at him slightly beneath her lashes.

Ren turned around when he felt the connection take hold and saw her laying there stretched out on what looked like the floor. He couldn't be positive because he couldn't see her surroundings, but he was almost certain. He took a few steps forward, about to kneel down and touch her cheek when he saw the polit come into view, kneeling down and putting and arm beneath Rey's knees and head and lifting her up. Ren could feel his blood begin to boil. He already hated this man and now he just stole a moment from him with Rey. Ren watched as the pilot laid Rey down on the mattress and pull the blankets up around her. He was happy though because this would mean the pilot should be leaving.

But he didn't. Ren became enraged when he saw Poe sit next to her looking her over like a piece of exotic fruit that he wanted to taste. Ren wanted to kill this man. He wanted to rip out his beating heart and end this mans life. Ren took several steps towards the man ready to kill him. They were only inches apart, but Poe had no idea he was even there. Ren was ready to beat this man with his bare fists as he watched him touch Rey's sleeping face and tuck her hair away.

Ren watched as the filthy pilot ran his fingers over Rey's collar bone and skin and pick up the crystal that she had hung around her neck. Him touching her made Ren's whole body shake with anger. Not only was he touching her, he was touching her, and she had no clue because she was lost in sleep. This thought made Ren activate his light saber. He was about to lose control and he didn't care. Then Poe did something Ren wasn't expecting that threw him off guard. Poe had stood up. Ren felt relief when he knew this meant the pilot must be leaving. Then bent down and placed a kiss on Rey's forehead. Ren, lost it and swung his light saber hitting the wall behind him several times, and heard Rey stir. He looked back at her and noticed she slightly moved away from Poe whether Poe realized it or not.

Poe left the room not knowing that he was 2 inches away from the man who was ready and willing to end his pathetic life.

Rey heard something smash and stirred slightly. Then she heard the closing of a door and her eyes fluttered open. Her room was dark except the small light she had left on. She looked down and realized she was in bed? All she could remember was reading the texts and nothing else.

"It was the pilot." He growled through gritted teeth.

Rey let out a small gasp of surprise and saw him sitting off to the side. She could feel the anger rolling off him. It was so dark and obscure. She noticed he was sitting with his legs crossed and eyes closed. There was sweat on his brow and his body was tense. He was trying to calm down by meditation but clearly that wasn't working. Rey stood up throwing the blankets to the side. She walked over to Ben and sat down in front of him mirroring his pose. Their knees were only an inch from each other and she could feel the force connection strengthen at their closeness. "Ben?" she said softly. "What's wrong? Why are you so angry?" Ben's eyes snapped open not startled by how close she was. He could feel her warmth when she sat down. It had radiated out of her and touched him like it always did. He stared at her. At her beautiful hazel eyes and he felt her energy and concern pouring out of her. She had no clue what had just happened around her and to her. That thought alone made the fire ignite again in his body.

"You ended up in bed because of that damned pilot." He said angrily, noticing her surprise at his words. "But how? How did he get in here?" She asked. "I don't know Rey. I just know that the force connected us, and I was about to put you to bed myself before that trifling pilot came in her and put his hands on you." He growled. "So, you are mad at him because he beat you to the thing you wanted to do?" She asked trying to understand his frustration. How could he be mad at someone taking care of her as a friend? "No Rey, I am mad because he put his hands on you and kissed your forehead. You are not his to touch." She could hear the rage in his voice and could see he was struggling to contain his anger. His fists were clenched, and his arms were shaking.

"Ben." She all but whispered and placed her hand on his cheek. Ben was surprised at her contact but reveled in the warmth it brought. "Ben, Poe is just my friend and he was taking care of me I'm sure. I promise there is nothing more." Ben closed his eyes and leaned his face into her hand. She was so naive when it came to this pilot. She had no idea what his real intentions were with her, but it eased his mind slightly knowing that she had no interest in Poe the way he did her. Ben opened his eyes to look right at Rey smiling face. "Rey." He said softly. The anger was receding and being replaced with the usual peace he felt with her. Ben reached out his hand and cupped Rey's cheek just like she was doing to him.

His thumb traced down her cheek, along her jaw and then over her lips. Rey could feel her heart pounding in her ears. Ben moved his hands to Rey's waist, picked her up and set her in his crossed legged lap allowing each of her legs to wrap around his waist. She was now sitting in his lap and he had to look up at her since she was now above him. Rey was shocked at quick change but didn't protest at all. "Rey." He said again placing his hands on each side of her face and staring up into her eyes. "Ben." She whispered again each of her hands had landed on his shoulders. Ben pulled her face down to his and took her mouth into his.

His lips were soft and gentle at first. She felt electricity run through her whole body and let out a small gasp at their kiss. Ben growled quietly and tangled his fingers into her hair deepening their kiss. She kept pace with him, moving her lips underneath his and grabbing the thick hair at the back of his neck. They slowed down and pulled apart opening their eyes slowly. Her face was flushed, and her lips were swollen from the fervent kiss they had just shared. They were both breathing heavily and just about to speak with the connection broke.

Rey couldn't help but smile and laugh quietly. She had just kissed Ben and it was extraordinary. She knew he felt it too. She could see it on his face when they had pulled away from each other. Rey stood up and changed into her sleeping tunic and laid back down in her bed. She laid there and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes and she reached up to touch her lips remembering how Ben's had felt against her own. Rey fell asleep a few minutes later and dreamed of nothing but him.


	15. Chapter 15 Warmth

**Chapter 15**

The connection ended while his fingers were still tangled in her hair. He could still feel how soft it was in his hands. He could still taste her. Ren sat in the middle of his training room still cross legged how he was when he had lifted Rey onto his lap. He had expected her to fight him and to pull away and was pleasantly surprised when she did neither. He had kissed her. Slow at first just to test the waters and make sure she wasn't going to fight him. When he felt her give in he couldn't take it and the kiss had become more frantic and needy.

They had pulled away from each other and were about to speak when the connection broke. What would he have said anyway? He thought to himself. It's not like he had planned what had happened, he simply couldn't resist when she had sat so close to him and cupped his cheek so gently. Her skin had been so soft on his skin and he could smell her floral perfume. She was intoxicating. Ben wanted more. He wanted her. She had to stand with him. There was no way for him to leave the order without dying and not way to return to the resistance without the same fate. He had to figure out how to convince her to stand with him in the First Order. They could make it new. They could change the galaxy forever.

Ren got up and went to the refresher to shower before trying to sleep for a couple of hours. He let the hot water pour over him until his skin was pink from the heat. Stepping out of the shower Ren dried of and wrapped the towel around his waist. He walked out to his bedroom and dressed in his normal black sleeping pants. He crawled between the black sheets and fell asleep.

 _He was in the Throne Room again, watching Rey's body hanging in the air as her screams filled the empty space. Snoke was laughing maliciously as he tortured her. Ren could feel his body shaking in his rage. Watching her hang there in agony was breaking him quickly. Snoke had the information he needed and was testing his apprentice. He shot lightening at Rey and made her scream even louder and in more agony._

 _Ren couldn't take it. He stood up quickly igniting his light saber ready to kill his Master. "Young fool." Snoke snarled at him. "Your love for her will be your greatest weakness. Kill it. Kill her and become the man you are supposed to be." Ren hesitated. This is what Snoke had promised last time. To kill his father to rid himself of any weakness. It didn't work. If anything is backfired miserably. Ren couldn't stop thinking about his father most days and what he had done. IF he were to kill Rey would that actually rid him of any weakness or would her death be the end of him. "Times up." Snoke yelled. Suddenly the whole praetorian guard was running at him._

 _Ren was able to take three of the weakest out immediately but the other 5 were more difficult. Ren fought for what felt like hours and was down to only one other guard. The two of them parried until Ren was able to see a weak spot. He took it to his advantage. Ren ran straight at the guard and right before he reached him he slid down to both knees and sliced the guard clean through the waist. Ren stood up ready to face Snoke but realized that he was no where to be found in the room. He looked around frantically for Rey. His eyes finally landed on her laying on the floor right where below where Snoke had her suspended and tortured._

 _He ran to her as fast as he could, sliding next to her side he put his hand under her head to look at her face. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly open with blood coming down the corner of her lips. Ren frantically felt her neck to get a pulse but couldn't feel anything. "No. No. No. Please No. Come on Rey please." He was desperate. Ren put his ear against her chest. There was no rise and fall to signal breathing and there was no steady thrumming of her heart. "NO! REY! PLEASE! NO!" He kept screaming at her to wake her up. Over and over, but she never did. Ren dragged her body into his lap holding her torso and head kissing her softly as he sobbed over her. "Rey, please. Rey don't leave."_

Rey's dreams of him had started out pleasant that night.

 _They had been walking through a large field of tall green grass. It was something that she had never seen before. He wasn't in his usual black cloak and clothing but in something more relaxed. A grey tunic with matching pants. He wore a black belt and boots and his hair was in the same messy style that he normally wore. She on the other hand was wearing something completely different. She was in a long grey flowing gown. Her hair had been braided on top and curled on the bottom, leaving it just as flowy as her dress. The were quiet towards each other but in a comfortable way, like just knowing that they were together brought them peace._

Rey's dream changed suddenly, and drastically.

 _They were no longer in a field of tall green grass but in the black and red throne room of Snoke. Her body was hanging in mid air and she was screaming in pain. The pain wracked her body over and over again. She heard him scream, not in pain but in anger. Faintly she could hear the clashing of what sounded like his light saber and other weapons. He was fighting for her. Rey felt a small sensation of relief before the first bolt of lightening hit her body. Her vision went black and the last thing she heard was Snoke's laugh._

 _Ben was crying. She heard him sobbing her name. Begging her to stay. Begging her to live. It didn't make sense to her. What was happening? She remembered a fight with Snoke and then she blacked out. Had she died? Ben had her cradled in his arms and she could hear the thumping of his heart and his shoulders were shaking uncontrollably. Rey willed herself to open her eyes. "Ben." She whispered. Ben's head snapped up and looked directly into her hazel eyes. "Rey! Rey, you're alive. Thank force. I thought he killed you." Ben said has he started to cup her cheek and running his hand over her hair as if she wasn't real. "I'm okay Ben. I don't think this is real." She said. "I think we're dreaming." Ben looked confused and furrowed his brow. "Oh." Was all he could say. "You need to wake up Ben." Rey said softly. She touched his cheek willing him to wake up from this horrible place in his mind. "Okay." Was all that he said and the room went black._

Rey shot straight up out of bed the minute the room went dark. She closed her eyes and focused on the bond in her mind.

 _"Ben? Ben, are you awake? Are you okay?" She called out to him._

 _"Yes Rey. I'm awake. I'm okay." He said back. Relief flooded through her body like cold water on a hot Jakku day. Her emotions were so strong that he could feel them too._

 _"Thank you, Rey. That's twice now you have helped me out of that miserable place." Ben said._

 _"You're welcome." Rey replied. She remembered the time when he had sent feelings of warmth and comfort through the bond and focused her energy on that and sent whatever she could to him. Warmth, comfort and relief all overtook his body. She had sent him these things to help him and he couldn't help but smile._

 _"Thank you for that." He said softly._

 _"Of course, Ben. Get some sleep. I'll stay a bit to make sure the dreams don't come back." She said._

 _"I would like that, Rey." Ben replied. He laid back down and quickly drifted off as she sent more waves of warmth and comfort to him. She stayed with him just like she said she would and watched over his mind carefully. He started dreaming again but this time was different._

He was a little boy playing with his best friend, a tall wookie, Chewbacca. He was on the Chewbacca's shoulders making ship noises as Chewbacca ran through the fields outside of the large home. She could feel Ben smile in his sleep. He was okay now. She slowly left his mind little by little. She didn't completely close off the bond because she wanted to make sure he was okay the rest of the night. His presence in her mind was warm and comforting. It was something she never wanted to lose.

Rey sighed as she laid back down staring at the ceiling. How had so much happened in the last 24 hours? Finding her crystal, reading through almost a whole jedi text, kissing Ben, dreaming with Ben, and being with Ben. She smiled as she slowly succumbed to the exhaustion that was overtaking her again.

Ben woke up the next day feeling the most refreshed that he had been in a very long time. After his nightmare she had helped him sleep. He could remember the feeling of her warmth and comfort that she sent through the bond. Ben reached out slightly and found, to his surprise, that she was still there. He could tell that she was sleeping but she hadn't completely closed the bond like normal. He wasn't sure if she had learned how to control this or if this was just a mistake that she happened upon. He didn't care. She had stayed. It was the first time in his life that someone had stayed for him and that touched him deep down. Everyone had told him that they loved him and cared about him, but no one had stayed until now.

He realized that she didn't stay though did she. When he offered she rejected him. His feelings quickly turned dark and the anger began to rise in him. She was confusing him. Why would she stay in his mind and comfort him but not take his hand and stay with him in person. She wanted him it was easy for him to tell and he wanted her which was no secret. Ben could feel the rage and feelings of betrayal taking over until suddenly a wave of her warmth came through washing it away. He reached out. She was still sleeping how could she possibly know to send him comforting feelings. His mind landed on her dream. It was of her and him. Replaying the scene from their last connection when they kissed. He couldn't help but smile and feel a little smug. Her dreams were of him. Not the grubby pilot, but of him.

Slowly he withdrew himself from her dream, but remained in her mind like she had, keeping the bond open between them. Ben got up, dressed in his usual attire and headed to the command bridge. It was time to find the resistance. He needed to find her


	16. Chapter 16 Discovery

General Hux didn't have time to blink before he was thrown into the nearest wall. The room fell silent waiting for the General to pick himself back up.

"How do you have no information on their whereabouts General?" Kylo Ren questioned the anger biting through his voice.

"Supreme Leader. We are working on finding the Resistance however every lead we have been given has come up empty." Ren stared at the pasty man. He was absolutely worthless, he thought.

"General I am giving you one month, which is more than generous for your ineptitude, to find the resistance, or there will be dire consequences. Understood?" Ren's voice was deep and held all the darkness that he promised Hux.

"Y-yes Supreme Leader." Hux stammered.

"Good." Ren said, and he stood up and stalked out of the meeting. He had enough of the bureaucratic tedium. He would leave the rest of the meeting to the General.

Hux's face was bright red with anger and embarrassment. Kylo Ren was starting to get on his last nerve. He was nothing but an insolent child who threw temper tantrums when he didn't get his way. Hux concluded the meeting and went back to the command deck watching over his team working tirelessly to find the Resistance. He knew that the girl had nothing to do with Snoke's death but at the moment he had no way to prove it. How could she have murdered the Supreme leader easily and then allowed Ren to live? If she was on a mission to destroy the First Order, then she should have been able to take them both down not just Snoke. He began to question everything. Why did the girl leave Ren alive? It's not as if she cares for him… does she? The thought dawned on him suddenly. Did this scavenger have feelings for Ren and allow him to live? Why else would she not have taken the chance to destroy the line of leadership in the First Order.

Hux paced up and down the bridge pretending to watch over his subordinates working. He needed a plan. If the girl cared for Ren at all, that would mean he may also care for her. She was the ticket. He needed to get Ren and the scavenger face to face for Ren to prove his loyalty to the First Order. He needed Ren to either strike her down or to show the entire First Order the traitor that he actually was. An evil smile spread across his face. Ren demanded that the resistance be found and find them he would.

Rey woke up to the thumping of a fist against her door. She sat up and realized that it must have already been late into by the day the way the light was filtering into her room. She looked around groggily knowing that she needed to get dressed. "Hold on!" She called to the door slightly irritated at the continuing thumping. Rey dressed quickly releasing a heavy sigh at the disappearance of the banging on her door. Once she was fully clothed she headed to the door and opened it with an irritated huff to find Finn and Poe both waiting outside the door like lost children.

"What is the reason for all the pounding on my door?" Rey asked a little more harshly than she had intended. Poe and Finn both looked a little taken aback from the aggressiveness in her tone.

"We just wanted to make sure you were okay darling." Poe said to her. He let the look of confusion go and grinned at her instead hoping to make her smile back. "It's nearly lunch and we haven't seen you yet today."

"It's nearly lunch?" Rey asked as her brows furrowed in confusion. How could she have slept for so long?

"It is." Finn jumped in. "I'm sure you only slept for 15 hours because you went almost two days without any sleep. Let's go get some food and catch up."

"Um." Rey hesitated. She looked away from both Finn and Poe and down to the floor. She was trying to think of a reason to not go with them. Her hand unknowingly went to the crystal hanging around her neck. She wrapped her fingers around it and felt a small wave of peace flow through her. It wasn't that she didn't want to get lunch, but she desperately wanted to work on the Jedi texts and search for any information she could find about building a lightsaber and using her crystal. Poe sensed her hesitation. She was so dedicated to everything she did, and he had to admit that was just one more thing about her that he admired. Poe didn't give her a chance to finish her response, though it's not like she was in a rush she was clearly trying to find an excuse to avoid having to go with them.

"Rey, you haven't eaten in like 2 days." He said has he watched her wrap her hand around the crystal on her neck. "You have to eat to be able to stay up and read through the Jedi texts."

"Yea Rey, you have to take care of yourself. It's more important than anything the texts will have for you." Finn said trying to back up Poe. Rey looked back up at both boys standing in her door. They were both smiling at her as if they knew that she had already caved to their will.

"Fine. Fine." She huffed, and her hand dropped the crystal back to her chest but underneath her tunic. "I'll go. Let me get actual clothes on though. I'll be out in a minute." Both Finn and Poe's faces beamed with victory. They left the room and the door shut behind them. Rey went to her bag on the floor with her clothing and dressed in her normal desert attire from Jakku. She desperately needed more clothing she thought as she pulled her hair out of her face in her signature three buns. Maybe the next time they were in a city she would try to find new clothing. Rey opened the door to see Finn and Poe hadn't moved. "Alright, let's go." Rey said smiling and motioning forward. Poe smiled back at her and threw his arm around her shoulder like normal and began walking down the halls to the mess hall.

Rey walked through the line handing out the daily portions for lunch and headed to their usual table. Finn and Poe were already sitting and waiting for her. She set down her tray and sat next to Poe. The three of them began eating when suddenly a short woman with dark black hair that was in a ponytail sat down next to Finn with a tray of food. Rey looked up not saying anything while Finn greeted the girl by putting a hand on her back and asking her how she was feeling. Rey smiled. She could see how much Finn cared for this girl just by the way he interacted with her.

"You must be Rey." The girl said to her smiling and holding out her hand. "I'm Rose. Finn has told me all about you." Rey smiled back to her and took her outstretched hand in hers and shook it gently.

"Yes, I am." Rey said back to Rose. "Finn has told me about you too. I have to say I owe you a great deal of thanks for not letting him kill himself on Crait." She said half laughing.

"Of course, I couldn't let him do that!" Rose said laughing full heartedly. "He's stubborn that's for sure." Rey couldn't help but laugh at that as well. She liked Rose right away and could tell that they were going to be good friends. She looked over at Finn who was smiling as well, clearly happy that Rey had approved of the new addition to their group. The four of them talked for hours not realizing how fast the day was slipping away.

"Hey!" Poe said to Rey. "So, I got one of those ships up and running and the second one isn't far off. Want to go see if we can get it going today?" He hoped she wouldn't say no. He had barely seen her in the last two days and desperately wanted to spend time with her. She smiled back at him and Poe could feel his heart pound beneath his chest. This girl was going to be is undoing, he just knew it.

"You got it running?!" Rey said happily. "Why didn't you tell me!? Of course, I want to get the other one running. Let's go." Rey was up on her feet instantly. She didn't care that this didn't involve working with her crystal or reading the Jedi Texts. She needed a break from that anyhow. She needed to work with her hands and fix something. Rey deposited her tray in the drop bin and started making her way out to the hanger where they had left the ships. Poe could hardly keep up with her. She was almost running out of excitement and Poe loved it. The energy that flowed from her was so intoxicating. He wasn't force sensitive, but the girl had such a gravitational pull to her. Poe caught up with her, and they were running now at full speed out to the ships. Poe looked over at Rey and she looked back and a smile hit both of their faces and without having to voice it, this became a race.

Rey dug down harder into the floor and pumped her arms. She could feel the adrenaline rush through her body and her lungs burning for air. The feeling of freedom rushed through her and she loved it. Poe saw Rey speed up and increased his own pace to match hers. They were running down the corridors and almost to the doors that would lead them outside. Rey stretched out her hand and focused on the force around her and used the energy to throw her door open while leaving Poe's closed. She couldn't help but smile as Poe hollered, "Cheater!" Rey flew through her open door which gave her the lead as Poe had to slow down a little to shove his open. She was three steps away from the ship when two arms snaked around her waist and dragged her backwards pulling her feet off the ground. "Oh, I don't think so!" Poe shouted while laughing. "Hey! Who's Cheating now!?" Rey said laughing. Her hands fell on his arms around her waist. She had never seen Poe in anything but his jacket or flight suit, so she had no idea how muscular Poe really was. She could feel the strength in his arms as he lifted her of the ground and spun her so that she was facing the door they had just come out of. Suddenly Poe let her fall back to her feet and dropped his arms from her waist. Rey looked in confusion at the door and then spun quickly to see Poe standing with one hand on the ship and a smug smile on his face. She couldn't help herself but focused on the force again and used the energy to swipe Poe's feet out from underneath him. He fell to the ground quickly with a thump and Rey laughed out loud when he let out a little, "umph." She was proud at how much better she was getting at connecting with the force around her and using her abilities.

Rey walked over to Poe and stretched out a hand to help him up. Poe stared up at Rey's smiling face. It hit him again like bricks in the chest how much he was starting to like her. It wasn't just her looks, which were flawless, but her strength, courage, intelligence, and overall personality. She was truly the total package. Poe smiled back at her, grabbed her out stretched hand and lifted himself up off the ground. "Guess I deserved that." He said chuckling. Rey laughed as well at his comment which made him smile even bigger. There was that laugh again that he loved to hear. "Alright so there are just a few things to do but we should have this ship up and running within the hour." He said.

"Fantastic. Let's get to it then." Rey replied. They began working on the ship and just like Poe predicted it was running within the hour. "Oh, Come on! Let's test them out!" Rey said almost begging to fly the newly working ship.

"Alright! Alright!" Poe said giving in. They both put on their flying suits and helmets and made their way towards the ships. Poe took the newer working ship before Rey could get to it. He wanted to try it before she did just in case anything was wrong, she wouldn't get hurt. Rey didn't seem to notice this and hopped in the cockpit of the other ship. She started the engines and heard it roar to life. She could feel the vibrations through her hands had the ship warmed up. They went through their system checks and once they were done Poe smiled at Rey and asked over their headset, "Ready to go?"

Rey looked over to Poe and gave him the thumbs up with her face showing the same excitement as a youngling learning something new for the first time. Both ships took off into the air. Rey started making these long runs straight up and then doing a loop causing her to go upside down for a moment. She laughed through their comm system and couldn't help but enjoy the freedom and happiness coursing through her body. Poe could hear just how much fun she was having, and her joy brought him the same amount of joy. Of course, flying had something to do with it as well, but it was mostly from her. "Alright darling! Let's make it interesting." Poe shouted over the comm.

"Oh really?" Rey said. "What did you have in mind flyboy?!" The use of the nickname made Poe smile. She was warming up to him and that made him happier than even flying could.

"First one to fly to these coordinates and back wins!" Poe says as he put the coordinates in the system sending them through to her.

Rey smiled at the challenge. "You're on." She said. Poe and Rey lined their ships up so that they were starting at the same place.

"On my count!" Poe said. "Three. Two. One. Go!" The two ships took off hurling through the open air. Rey had taken a small lead a barley by the nose of the ship and Poe could see he was behind. He pushed his thrusters forward and took the lead back. Rey and Poe did this a couple of times each until they were toe to toe. Her heart was racing in her chest with excitement. She was almost to the coordinates and ready to make the turn around when she felt the force around her pulling and tugging her forward past the set point that Poe had given her.

Poe was almost there. Just two more seconds, he could turn and then full thrust back to the base to beat her when suddenly his system started flashing red warnings all over. One of the engines was overheating. In that moment he was glad to have chosen this ship and let Rey take the one that was fixed completely. "Rey my engines are overheating, I have to stop and head back." He called to her. Rey could barely hear him though through her concentration on the force around her. It was pulling her farther and farther away from Poe and she knew it was trying to show her something. "Rey?" Poe asked and received no response. "Rey?! Are you okay? Why aren't you answering?" Poe was nearly back to the base now and couldn't see her ship any longer. He was getting worried but there was nothing he could do. He had to land before he blew out an engine. "Rey please answer me. I just landed, and I need to know that you are okay." Still no answer. Poe ran to the next hanger over to get one of the speeders. He knew something was wrong and he needed to find her. Poe started the speeder, hopped on and began flying towards where they had just been racing. He needed to get to her and fast.

Rey couldn't hear Poe over the feeling coursing through her body and soul. Something was pulling her forward past the coordinates of their race. She kept flying, trusting in what the Force was telling her. Trusting that it was trying to show her something that she needed like it had on Ach To. Rey flew for about five minutes more past the original race coordinates, and then she saw it. It was an old building of some sort. It looked beyond old. The walls were crumbling, and vegetation had begun climbing through the cracks and crevasses on them. Dust and pieces of the walls lay in scattered areas of the buildings floor. Rey knew instantly that this is where the Force was leading her, there was something here for her. Rey slowed down and descended towards the ruins. She carefully landed her ship and hopped out of the cock pit. The sun was setting and the light in the sky was dimming. She stood staring at the dilapidated structure in front of her with her hands on her hips. Rey took in a deep breath and headed into the dark opening curious as to what she would find here.


	17. Chapter 17 Missing Peices

Rey walked slowly through the crumbling structure as smalls strips of light broke through the cracks and small wholes on the wall. This place looked like it had been hit by a bomb. Walls were damaged if not completely knocked down making several dead ends if she were to turn down a corridor. Rey decided to keep walking straight and soon found herself in a circular courtyard with no roof. The sun had completely set by the time she emerged outside, and darkness had taken over. Rey looked up at the million stars above her and smiled. She could remember being on Jakku and wanting to be up in those same stars instead of in the sand. Everything had changed, she thought to herself. It was peaceful here in this small quad, and quiet. She couldn't hear anything but the evening breeze and an animal calling far away in the forest. Rey began to wander around looking at why the force may have drawn her to this place. She could feel the force slightly tug her to the right towards another opening in the building.

Rey stopped in front of the passageway and tried to look around before entering. She really wished she had a lightsaber right now. The darkness was blinding, and she was just hoping there was nothing waiting for her on the other side. Rey began down the passage and could feel the ground sloping downwards and starting to go underground. In the dark, the journey seemed to take a while even though Rey had reached the bottom in the matter of minutes. Once she reached the flat surface underground she could see the path in front of her thanks to the small lights on the walls guiding her way. The passage had changed from dirt and rocks to grated metal on the floor and smooth metal on the walls. Even though the structure above looked like it had aged over a millennium, the underground area looked in better shape. Rey continued following the faint tug of the force pulling her forward. She found several doors that led to small offices and supply closets. When she opened the next door and the lights flickered on, Rey almost couldn't believe what she was seeing. There were racks full of training droids, and weapons like quarter staffs, and wooden sabers. The wall was lined with old and cracked mirrors and the floor was padded. Where in the galaxy was she, Rey thought to herself. This must have been some sort of training facility for Jedi, why else would all this training equipment be here? Rey wanted to stay and analyze the equipment that she had just stumbled upon, but she could tell in her gut that this was not where she was supposed to be now. The force was pulling her to something else.

Rey headed out of the training room and back down to the hallway. It was like before on Tokanda, she could feel something calling to her. Beckoning her closer. Soon Rey found herself in front of a door on the left side of the hallway. The doors were much closer together now and there were far more of them as well. She pushed the button to slide the door open and was let into a dark room that only had the dim lights that were on the wall. She studied the room. It was small and housed two beds. One on each side of the room. There was also a small table with drawers next to each bed. Things were starting to piece together for Rey. This must have been a Jedi training facility of some type. Was this an old temple, she thought to herself? Rey stepped further into the room going to the first set of drawers next to one of the beds. When she opened it, she found a scroll of paper and a few trinkets. Rey took out the scroll and began to unfurl the edges. She was never ready for what the piece of paper contained.

Rey looked down at the paper in awe. Here clear as day were the instructions on how to construct a lightsaber. Everything that she had been looking for in the Jedi texts, but somehow knew wasn't there, was now in front of her on this small paper. Pure joy radiated through her body and she couldn't contain her excitement as she let out a small laugh.

"What did you find?" Ben asked. She yelped in fright at his voice and turned to him clutching the paper to her chest. Rey had been so drawn in by the plans and the force that pulled her to them that she didn't even feel him come to her.

"For the love of force Ben! You scared me." She said to them trying to catch her breath. Ben wasn't going to let her change the subject. He narrowed his eyes seeing the scroll clasped against her chest.

"What did you find Rey?" He asked again wanting an answer.

Rey looked at him. She could tell he wanted an answer and wasn't going to talk about anything until he got it. "Ben. I think I found instructions on how to build a lightsaber." She said holding the paper out to him so that he could read it. Ben looked down at the instructions written on very old parchment that was worn thin and aging. She was right. She had found the instructions on how to build a lightsaber. Where was she that she would just stumble upon this information? Ben had planned on getting her the information she needed but now it was clear she didn't need it anymore.

Ben looked up at Rey, "Where are you Rey?" He asked her. His eyes were fixed on hers making her blush slightly.

"I don't know. I think this is an old training facility of some typed." She replied looking back down at the paper and away from his searching eyes.

"That's not what I meant." He said irritably. "Where are you Rey? What planet are you on?" Ben asked again.

"You know I can't tell you that Ben." Rey said softly looking back at his face. Ben could feel the anger flowing through his blood. He was sick of playing this game of hide and seek and wanted to know where she was right now.

"Rey. I have had enough of this. Tell me where you are." Ben said to her. "Now."

Rey could sense his attitude. This wasn't Ben she was talking with, but Kylo Ren. She jutted out her chin and stood up straight. "No, _Kylo. I will not tell you where I am. You have no right to that information, and if you came here only to be rude then please be my guest and just leave." Rey turned away from him and kneeled in front of the drawers again going through what she thought were trinkets but were pieces to the lightsaber including the power source, and emitter. She was about to stand up when she felt him kneel beside her and place a hand on her hair. Rey looked to her right to see Ben, not Kylo, looking at her apologetically. Ben knew that she wasn't going to get her to tell him where she was, but he was tired of not actually being near her. He didn't want to hurt her, he wanted her by his side and was done waiting._

"Rey." He said softly to her has he tangled his fingers in her hair. Ben dropped his forehead to hers and they sat together like that for a few moments just breathing in rhythm. Rey opened her mouth to say something when she heard her name being called. "REY!? REY!? WHERE ARE YOU?!" It was Poe. Rey looked up toward the door as she heard Poe getting closer. She could feel Ben stiffen next to her and his annoyance and anger hit her through the force. She knew that Ben didn't like Poe, but she felt that it was for childish reasons and that he would have to get over it. Poe ran down the corridors searching for Rey and slid to a stop when he found her in a small dim lit room clutching a piece of paper to her chest. "Rey!" he shouted and closed the distance between them quickly. Poe wrapped his arms around Rey and put his face in the crook of her neck, while holding her close. Rey hugged Poe back lightly and chuckled. For some reason the connection hadn't broke and Ben was still there. She could feel what had been annoyance and irritation turn in to a full-on rage the moment Poe had picked her up. Rey pulled herself away from Poe hoping to ease some of Bens emotions. Even if she didn't think of Poe as anything more than a friend, Ben had warned her that this was not how Poe felt which clearly made Ben angry. Ben and Rey were on decent terms and she didn't want anything to ruin that so, she thought it best to not be held in Poe's arms for long around Ben.

"Rey, where are we? What happened? I thought you crashed or something? Are you okay?" Poe asked all at once running out of breath. He rather liked holding her in his arms for the short amount of time and was missing her warmth after she had stepped away.

"I'm so sorry Poe. I'm fine, but when I was flying I felt this tug in the Force. Like it was leading me here, so I followed it and I actually found what I needed." Rey said back to him.

Poe's brow furrowed "What did you find?" He asked.

She smiled widely at him with excitement and held out the paper. "I found the instructions on how to make a lightsaber and the parts to do it as well!" Poe looked down at the paper in surprise and after reading the parchment in front of him, he couldn't help but share in her excitement.

"Alright!" He shouted, his smile matching Rey's. "Let's get back to the base so we can work on this! I mean what is a Jedi without their lightsaber?" He said winking at her. It caught Rey a little by surprise and she could feel Ben's disgust roll through their connection.

"Absolutely!" She told Poe. "Do you mind waiting for me by the ship? I want to just gather a couple of things from here."

"Sure, sure. Just don't take to long. It's late and we have a lot to do still." Poe said as he turned and left the room.

"I don't like him touching you." Ben growled, but Rey could feel the relief and calm pour back through her connection even though his tone was as sharp as a knife. She avoided the topic of Poe completely. If Ben wanted to be jealous of something that wasn't real, then that was his own prerogative.

"Ben is this all the components I need for the light saber?" She asked holding out the pieces to him.

He studied the pieces for a moment and said, "Yes, Rey. But you need a hilt."

Rey's face lit up in a wide grin. "I have an idea for that." She said. Rey cast her eyes to the ground knowing that she needed to leave. "Ben." She whispered. "I have to go now." There was no response from Ben. Rey looked up quickly to see that he had vanished. She let out a small sigh and put the paper and parts in her bag and then slung it across her shoulder. Rey made her way back through the compound and out to her ship to a waiting Poe.

"You ready darling?" Poe asked. Rey smiled and nodded her head in return. She climbed back into the repaired x-wing as Poe hopped back on his speeder.

"What do you say?" Poe asked with a large grin. "Want to race?"

Rey smiled back at him, "You are so on." She said. This time Rey won by just a second, leaving Poe to grumble about how the odds weren't fair. Rey laughed at him the entire way back inside the base and to her room. It had gotten very late and Poe was still walking along side Rey when they stopped in front of her door.

"Thanks for everything Poe." She said. "I'll see you in the morning." And before Poe could give her a hug Rey, entered her room closing the door behind her. Poe frowned in disappointment and his brows knit together. Did he imagine it or did Rey just avoid him? Nah, she wouldn't do that. She liked him right. Poe couldn't help but think about her the rest of the night concerned that he did something wrong.

Rey let out a sigh when she entered her room. She was grateful for Poe coming to look for her when he thought that she might be in danger, but she felt a slight annoyance that her moments with Ben were interrupted. She set her bag down on the floor and placed herself beside it. Rey took out the pieces of the saber and placed them on the floor in the order that the scroll had them written down to be put in the saber. She did have everything she needed except for her hilt. Rey's hand unknowingly made its way to the crystal around her neck. Closing it in her finger, Rey could feel the warmth pulsating from it into her hands running through her body. She didn't know why but in this moment, it felt right to just focus on this crystal. Rey closed her eyes and cleared her mind, focusing only on the force around her. Rey didn't realize but she meditated holding her crystal in her hand for over six hours. The only thing that brought her out of her meditation was the small tugging on the bond in her mind meaning she was about to see Ben again. With her eyes still closed Rey smiled to herself.


	18. Chapter 18 Pasr Friends

**AN: Hey guys I am so sorry for the delay in updating. The last couple of weeks have been insane with family gatherings and wedding planning. I'm hoping to at least update once a week.**

 **Thank you so much for all of the follows and comments. Please keep them coming! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and that you enjoy this chapter!!**

 **Thank you!!**

Kylo had been standing just in front of Rey about to rest his hand on her cheek when she whispered his name. It stopped him dead in his tracks afraid that she was going to deny his touch. "I have to go now." She had said to him and then she vanished. Ben was left standing alone in his room like always. He was always alone when she was not around, no matter how many people were actually in the area. Kylo's every thought was of her at every moment since he had taken her from Tokanda. In the beginning this enraged him. How could a nobody scavenger from Jakku have dug her way so deep into his mind that at every waking moment his thoughts would be of her? But since the connections started forming during his recovery and her adventure to Skywalker, he was able to see her. Not just physically see her, but he could see what made her tick, he could see the light burning through her. Kylo could also see the dark piece of her that she didn't like to admit she had. It was during these connections that he could really see Rey, and she wasn't a nobody scavenger from Jakku. She was everything. Rey was the missing piece that he could never find, until now. Rey would be the key to his success in bringing balance to the galaxy. The only problem was the bloody resistance that had gotten to her first. His _mother had corrupted her mind with tales of good and evil, the Jedi and the Sith, and Luke Skywalker and Lord Vader. Kylo's anger gripped him like a vice and he turned and punched the wall several times. Just the thought of his mother telling Rey these things to sway Rey's naïve feelings, had his fury bubbling over. Not only had that woman abandoned him with the man who would later try to kill him, but now she was taking away the girl that he needed by his side. Kylo barely heard the buzzer over his pounding fist against the wall. His punches ceased, and he took several deep breaths trying to compose himself. He was now the Supreme Leader, and the supreme leader shouldn't act like a child throwing tantrums._

Kylo walked over to his door and pushed the open button. Standing before him was a General from Hux's personal guard of stormtroopers. Kylo said nothing but simply stared at the man in front of him.

"I apologize to bother you at this time Supreme Leader, however General Hux sent me with a message for you." Said the stormtrooper not taking any breaths between his words. He didn't want to be standing in front of the Supreme Leader anymore than Kylo wanted him there.

"What is it?" Kylo asked keeping his voice low and his face in a hard mask reveling no emotions. Kylo was already wishing this man away from him.

The stormtrooper just nodded his head. "General Hux wanted me to inform you that we have found been informed of a small camp of resistance empathizers on Naboo. He believes this could be where the where the resistance fleet his hiding. He wanted to let you know that we will be sending scouting party down now to find more information in the next hours."

Kylo nodded at the man. "Is that all?" He asked.

"Yes, Supreme Leader." The general responded. Kylo didn't say anything in return but he simply turned closed his chamber door and walked back into his bedroom.

So, they were possibly hiding on Naboo? Not a surprise really, Kylo thought to himself as he began undressing from the day. Leia's mother's, Kylo's grandmother's, home planet was Naboo, and he had only been there a few times as a child. He had visited his grandmothers old home and the surrounding land that was covered in tall luscious green grass. He used to play with Chewie out in the meadow to the back of the mansion. Kylo should have known that she would return there for assistance to her pitiful cause. Another thought crossed his mind then. Within the next few hours or even day he could be reunited with her. With Rey. His blood ran hot through his veins, not in anger but in excitement. He would have another chance with her and this time she wouldn't slip through his fingers. Kylo was sure that if he finally got to her this time, he wouldn't let her go so easily. This feeling of eagerness and anticipation coursed through him and he couldn't help but smile. He just needed a moment, he thought, just a moment to really explain what he wanted to Rey. He needed to tell her that he wanted to rule the galaxy with her by his side yes, but not in the way she believed. He wanted to rule justly and fairly. He wanted to bring true peace to the galaxy by making laws and treaties that would accomplish that. He didn't have a chance to explain to her last time that he had asked. When he asked her to join him she had asked him, "Please don't go this way." Kylo had panicked at her words. She was ready to turn him down and he didn't want to lose her, he couldn't lose her and yelled at her. It all went to hell after that. But that wouldn't happen this time. She would have to listen to him.

Kylo headed into the refresher and cleaned himself of the long and tedious day he had dealing with paperwork and General Hux. However, he did have to admit that Hux did seem to have a new-found enthusiasm for finding the resistance and Kylo couldn't help but feel smug in the idea that it was because of his threat. He still had the power over the First Order even though he felt powerless over everything else. Kylo turned off the steaming hot water, stepped out of the refresher and dried off. Walking into his bedroom he put on his normal sleeping pants and crawled onto his large bed. Kylo laid down on his back resting his hands behind his head and staring at the ceiling, thinking about Rey and how soon he might be with her again. With Thoughts of her, he drifted into the most peaceful sleep he had ever had in the years of torment that lived in his nightmares.

They tug in the back of her mind had her smiling before Ben would even appear. Rey sat on the floor holding her crystal like she had for the past 6 hours, with her eyes closed and a half knowing smile on her face. "Hello Ben." She said without opening her eyes to see him.

There was a pause before any response came to Rey. "Why would Ben be here?" A voice asked. It wasn't Ben's deep voice that Rey had expected but it was another very familiar to her. Rey's eyes shot open to see a bluish outline of a man. Not just a man but Master Luke. Rey's hand dropped away from the crystal around her neck and fell to her lap.

"Master L-Luke? How? What?" She stammered. "How are you here?" Luke merely chuckled at Rey. He knew she didn't understand all of this. How could she? The girl didn't know much about the Force and what she did know was taught to her sporadically by several people.

"I'm a Force ghost Rey." Luke said with a small smile. "Even though I am technically no longer with the living, I was able to transition after my death to remain in the force." He continued spreading his hands out in front of him. "Which is how I'm here." He finished.

Rey just looked at him in awe not sure what to say or do. She thought that she would never see Luke again. That she would never be able to ask him the questions that she had from that day on Crait. She smiled at him now excited that her master wasn't truly gone like she believed. Luke smiled back at her and sat down in front of her with his legs crossed under his robes. Rey's mind began racing with all the questions that she had for him, and there were several. However, her mind only came back to one question and that was about Ben. Her smile faded, and she looked down at her hands that were resting in her lap.

"Master Luke?" She asked.

Luke watched her closely. He could tell that she was troubled. He could feel the way it moved through the Force like waves in the ocean. Rey looked back up to Luke's face with a new-found courage.

"Luke. I have a Force bond with Ben, and I don't understand why. I don't understand how it works. I don't even know how to break it, or if I should try to block him. But most of all everything in my body, in my soul is telling me to let it continue." Luke watched her confess these things as if he didn't know them already. As if he couldn't read it clear as day on her face. His hard-inquisitive look softened to her and he smiled.

"Rey. You are right. You do have a Force bond with Ben." Luke said to her. "Force bonds are extremely rare and in recorded history usually only between a Master and his Padawan. So, for you two to have a bond and not be in that position is even more rare and an explanation may never be found. Unfortunately, bonds cannot be broken. They grow in strength over time and with how often you access the bond. At first it may have felt like something small in your mind. Something that you could grab onto, like a string. The more you use the bond the stronger it will grow, and it will feel like a rope, more solid and sturdy. Rey if your body, and soul are telling you to let it continue there is a chance that this is what you should do. The Force willed your bond into being and the force always works with a purpose. Even if you wanted to end the bond Rey you must be careful. If I remember correctly bonds can run very deep meaning you may start to feel each other's feelings, which may grow to being able to feel actual pain if the other is hurt. From my understanding if the bond is strong enough, a fatal wound to one may kill the other." He finished.

Rey watched Luke closely as he answered her questions. His answers were not what she wanted to hear but knew deep down that Luke was telling the truth. This bond that was created between the two of them was going to be something they had forever, and they wouldn't be able to sever. Rey nodded her head at Luke not knowing what to say and looked down at her hand still holding the crystal around her neck. Luke watched Rey knowing that she was thinking about his response.

"I see that you have found a Dantari crystal." He said pointing to the crystal clutched in her hand. Rey raised her head to look at Luke, and she smiled.

"Yes, I did." She said back to him. "I don't even know what happened. It was the Force I suppose, calling to me and it led me to this cave that was filled with them. Then later the same feeling came over me when I was flying with Poe. I found this old building, maybe a temple? When I searched around I found instructions on how to build a light saber." Rey said to him while grabbing the instructions and showing them to Luke.

Luke nodded with a smile on his face. "That is the old Jedi temple that you found. It has been around for over 4 millennia. I am not surprised that the Force would lead you there to find the information you needed for a light saber. I also see that you have already become attuned to your crystal." He said nodding to the crystal around her neck. Rey looked down and noticed that the crystal had changed slightly in hue but couldn't make out a distinct color. She looked back up at Luke confused at what he meant by attuned. Luke didn't need Rey to ask the question. He could already see the confusion on her face.

"Rey you have been meditating with your crystal for a while now and you have become one with the crystal. You have attuned your Force signature with the crystal itself. You did this unknowingly, but it is the fist step in building your own saber. The next step, which you are ready for is construction. The only thing you are missing is a hilt. Did you have something in mind for this?" He asked.

Rey smiled widely. "Yes. I have the perfect hilt planned." She said.

"Good." Luke replied. "Once you have all of the pieces for your saber you will need to sit just like you are now. Follow the instructions that you found and most importantly trust in the Force to show you the design and way to construct your saber."

"Thank you, Master Luke." Rey said back to him as she nodded in understanding to his directions.

"You are welcome, Rey." Luke said. "May the Force be with you." And with that statement Luke disappeared from in front of Rey.

"May the Force be with you too, Luke." Rey whispered as she looked at the crystal around her neck.

Rey smiled thinking about her conversation with Luke. She quickly stood up, grabbed her staff and ran out the door. She only needed one more thing to make her light saber and she was going to get it today.


	19. Chapter 19 Connecting

Rey ran through the corridors of the rebel base. It was still early in the morning and she didn't run into anyone familiar on her way, though she wasn't really focused on the faces flying past her. She ran until her lungs burned and her legs started to ache until she was standing in front of the hanger bay where her and Poe had been working on the ships earlier. There was no one in the large hanger and the quietness filled Rey with a sense of peace. Her racing heart began to slow down as she made her way to a makeshift workbench that they had created. No, they didn't have fancy tools and equipment like the First Order or even like their old base, but Rey wasn't used to fancy and was okay with making do with what she had. Rey sat down and placed her staff in the center of the table. This was it, she thought to herself. She just needed a hilt and she had the perfect idea. Rey grabbed the old cutting torch from underneath the makeshift bench and turned it on. She stared at the aged durasteel staff sitting in front of her and was feeling sad at the thought of cutting it apart. This staff had saved her multiple times from other scavengers and threats. If it weren't for this staff she may not be alive today. This would be her weapon still but just in a different way she told herself. It would still protect her like it always had but in a new way.

Rey steadied her hand and used the cutting torch to split the staff three quarters of the way up from one end. This would be a longer hilt, but she liked the idea. It would feel more comfortable in her hand like her staff had. The metal of the staff cut easily and soon Rey held two pieces of the staff in her hand, the now smaller half being her new light saber hilt. She smiled. Rey stood up, collected her staff and new hilt and made her way back to her room. Cutting her staff hadn't taken much time at all and the base was still quiet in the early morning. Rey was able to make it back to her room without interruption from anyone. Once she entered the small space she gathered all of the pieces to assemble her light saber, including the instructions, and sat on the floor just as she had been when Luke found her. Rey followed the instructions and laid each part out in order on the floor in a line in front of her. Her hands reached up to the crystal around her neck and slowly untwisted it from the leather band holding it in place. Once it was free of the setting she placed the crystal down on the floor near the other pieces. Rey had read the instructions multiple times since she had found the paper, but she was still nervous that she wasn't going to be able to do this. She took a shaky breath and closed her eyes.

Rey reached out in the force drawing all of the light she could to her, and it flowed easily. The force surrounded her like a warm blanket. It ebbed and flowed all around her like water in the ocean moving easily along. She reveled in the feeling of the force around her. This time was like nothing else she had ever experienced. She could feel the power in her and around her as she accessed the light. Rey was ready, and she knew it. Slowly Rey began to imagine the design in her head and slowly she connected with each piece of the saber through the force to move it into place. Slowly Rey worked in the quiet space to assemble her new weapon.

Kylo had been dead asleep, with no dreams or nightmares for that fact. He was in the most peaceful sleep that he had ever had even as a child. His relaxed face rested on the black silk pillow beneath his head and his body was sprawled across the same black sheets of his bed. He wore only his black sleeping pants and his bare chest was exposed to the chill air of his room. Something moved through him, through his mind. It was small at first and then suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks. Kylo woke right way winded, as if all of the air had been stolen from him. "What the?" Kylo muttered, and then he felt that familiar tug in his mind. He focused on it and grabbed on to the thick string in his mind and let it carry him to her anticipation filling his soul.

Kylo wasn't ready to see her sitting on the floor of her room meditating. He was certainly not ready to see the pieces of the saber floating in front of her trying to assemble themselves. At that moment Kylo felt it again, that same feeling of bricks hitting him in the chest and losing all of the air in his body. He looked back down to Rey and his heart nearly stopped in his chest. She was breathtaking. Her aura was so bright around her, he thought he may have to look away, but he didn't dare. Kylo would never want to miss the sight of her looking this way. The force around her was thick and heavy but moved easily. He could feel the strength of it around her. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. He didn't say a word, not caring if the connection cut them off before he could talk to her. Kylo wanted to watch her like this, meditating with the force flowing through her. He would never be able to look away from her again. At that moment he knew he was lost to her. Everything in his body, mind, and heart told him that he would do anything for her. He would end this war if it meant that he could be with her.

Suddenly the pieces that were floating in midair fell with a loud clang to the floor in front of Rey. Her eyes snapped open, "Kirff." She muttered and leaned forward rearranging the pieces back into order. She had lost her focus in the middle of the meditation, Kylo knew, but why, he didn't know. He watched her quietly reorganize the components and sit back down where she was. She closed her eyes again and breathed slowly. He thought she was about to meditate again but was surprised when she spoke to him with a smile crossing her face. "Hi Ben." She said and looked over and up to him opening her eyes. Kylo lost his breath again and this time it had nothing to do with the force and everything to do with Rey.

Kylo was sitting upright now, bare chested, staring at her. "Hey Rey." He said quietly. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, neither knowing what to say. Their last interaction when she found the instructions for the light saber hadn't been the best. It was far from their worst but still left him feeling unsure of what to say. Rey could feel his hesitation. She quietly stood up and went to her bed where he had appeared and was now sitting. Kylo watched her every move like an animal does when they are unsure if the thing around them is a friend or foe. Rey sat down next to Kylo making the bed dip slightly with her weight. Her leg rested against Kylo's and she couldn't deny the sparks that ran through her at their touch. She looked to Ben to see him studying her face. "What?" She said embarrassed as her cheeks flushed.

Kylo looked away not realizing that he had been staring at her. He couldn't help it he thought to himself. She was extraordinary. Something about this girl drew him in like a moth to a flame and he wouldn't be able to pull away from her even if he tried. "You lost your focus." He said. "What were you thinking about?"

Now Rey looked away from him, her cheeks burning a brighter shade of red then before. Did she admit to him that her thoughts were of him when she lost focus? She had been thinking of the design of the saber and how it should piece together, when her thoughts had turned to him. Wondering what he was doing. Was he sleeping, training, in a meeting? She wasn't sure. She hoped he was sleeping as she knew he never did get much rest. The thought of him sleeping had her thinking of the last time she had seen him asleep. Laying in his bed, bare chested and sprawled out. The muscles of his chest and arms had been so visible that day as they were now with him right next to her. She had been right though, she chuckled to herself, he had been sleeping. "Nothing, I just got distracted." She said back to him.

He knew she was lying. Kylo couldn't help himself and he skimmed the outer reaches of her mind to see that she had been thinking about him, bare chested and sleeping. He couldn't help but smile knowing that she was feeling just as attracted to him as he was to her. "Rey." Ben said, and he placed a finger underneath her chin and tilted her face towards him. Her eyes pierced him, and he fell into the deep hazel pools. Ben couldn't stop himself. He placed his hand in her hair at the base of her neck and gently pulled her forward until their lips met. Rey's eyes closed, and she found comfort in the warmth of Ben's lips against her own and felt her heart begin to race. Their kiss had started off slow, the two of them exploring the other softly, but soon Kylo couldn't take it anymore and picked up the pace. He snaked an arm around Rey's middle and pulled her on top of him again like their first kiss. Kylo's back rested against the wall with Rey on top of him. The two kissed frantically as if they were lovers saying goodbye for the last time. Kylo's hands found her hips and played with the hem of her tunic, sliding under to find her bare skin. The moment his skin touched her fire spread through both of them and they released the same pleasured sound at the contact.

Rey ran her hands down his bare chest feeling his muscles contract as she touched him. She had never been like this before with anyone and wasn't sure if she was even doing this right, but it felt right to her. Ben moaned her name making her stomach flip and her heart flutter. She loved the way her name sounded when he said it. She was losing it and she knew it. There would soon be nothing she would want to keep or hide from him. He was everything she never knew she needed but she knew now that if she couldn't have him her life would never be the same. She would always have an empty gaping hole inside her if he wasn't with her. Rey's kisses grew more intense and she fisted her hands in his hair at the back of his neck eliciting a wonderfully low growl from Kylo as he continued exploring her mouth with his own.

Kylo's kisses became frantic. He needed more of her, of her light. He needed all of her. His hands had slowly worked their way up her tunic to her ribs. Her skin was undeniably soft, and he reveled in the feeling of it. Suddenly he picked her up by the hips and laid her down on the bed, crawling on top of her. The movement had startled her and when she was rested against the mattress her arms rested slightly above her head and her hair splayed out around her like a halo. Kylo was going to need a new heart after this if it kept stopping, he thought to himself. He leaned down and began kissing Rey again, and slowly moving from her lips to her cheek, to her jaw, and slowly to her neck, kissing and nipping softly, which brought a low and soft moan from Rey's lips. His blood boiled over with the noise. She was perfect everything about her was flawless. Kylo's hand again found its way under her tunic and was sliding up the soft skin of her stomach as he found his way back to her mouth to kiss her again.

Suddenly there was loud banging on her door and both Kylo and Rey's heads snapped up to the door looking at it as if it were about to explode. Kylo could feel the anger in his body begin to pulse. If it was that bloody pilot interrupting again he was sure he would rip out the man's throat the moment he saw him face to face. He had had enough of the filthy man sniffing around Rey. She was his and she would always be his. Kylo looked down to Rey to see that she was studying his face, and he could feel his heart double its pace again if that were even possible to go that fast.

"I have to go Ben." She said as she raised her hand to cup his cheek. Kylo's eyes closed and he leaned his face into her touch absorbing all the warmth that it had to offer. He could feel the connection fading. He opened his eyes to look at her one more time with her hair spread out on the sheets below her. "You'll get your saber done Rey. You just need to focus. Follow the instructions that you found and most importantly trust in the Force to show you the design and way to construct your saber." Kylo said to her. She smiled at him and propped herself up to give him one last kiss before he disappeared.


	20. Chapter 20 The Mission

**A.N. Hey guys I'm so sorry again for the delay in updates. Life has been crazy busy and it seems to be more and more difficult to find time to sit down and write. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I will try to update again soon!!**

Rey laid on her bed out of breath and dizzy. What in the Force just happened? Before she could even begin to rationalize the situation in her head the banging on her door shocked her out of her thoughts. She got up and ran to the door and opened it to find a crazed Finn looking back at her.

"What took you so long to answer?" Finn asked her. He scanned her up and down quickly to make sure nothing was wrong. When his eyes returned to her face he saw the blush on her cheeks and her hair was messy around her as well.

"I- I'm sorry Finn. I was meditating. I've been trying to assemble my new light saber." She said to him and moved slightly out of the way so that he could see the pieces sitting on the floor. She was hoping he would believe her lie because the truth was something she wasn't willing to share.

"Oh!" He said. "Okay. I'm sorry I didn't mean to take you away from something important, but Leia asked for me to get you so that we can meet with her."

Rey looked puzzled at this. "Do you know what for?" She asked.

"No." Finn replied. "I tried to ask but she told me to come get you first."

"Oh. Okay. Well let's go then." She said ushering Finn out the door so that he didn't have a chance to see the state of her small cot with the blankets crumpled and askew. Rey closed the door behind her and the two of them began walking through the base towards Leia's personal quarters. "How's Rose?" Rey asked Finn hoping to break the odd seeming silence.

"She's great!" Finn exclaimed. "She feels amazing and is almost completely healed from Crait." He beamed at Rey.

"I'm glad to hear it." She said smiling back at him. "I like her. She's good for you." Finn just chuckled at Rey and neither of them had time to say anything else as they stepped up to General Organa's door. Finn knocked on the door and it slid open in front of them to reveal General Organa's personal quarters. Finn and Rey stepped in the doorway together and the door slid shut behind them closing with a soft thump. General Leia was sitting at her desk shuffling between multiple holo pads with her face contorted in what looked like confusion. When the door shut she looked up at the two rebels standing in front of her. "Oh good! You two made it here. I must speak with you both, but we are also waiting for Poe. Come take a seat." She gestured to the small chairs in her sitting area. Rey and Finn both moved to the small sitting area and sat down. Before they had a chance to even get comfortable Poe was entering the room to join them all.

"Alright. Since you are all here now," Leia started. "I wanted to talk to you about a resource mission. I have several contacts on Naboo and they have been extremely generous to stockpile a supply ship for us, however we need to go retrieve the ship and bring it back here. I know this is a long way from where we are just for supplies, but we are out of options at the moment." Finn, Rey, and Poe all nodded their heads in agreement.

"So, when do we leave, General?" Poe asked, clearly excited to get back in a ship and off the ground.

"You will be leaving immediately. The ship is ready for us and even through hyperspace it should take about a day to get there."

"Perfect! I'll start preparing the ship." Poe said. "You two hurry up and meet me at the Falcon. We'll take off as soon as possible." He was smiling, and Rey could feel the excitement radiating off of him. She smiled back to him and nodded her head in understanding. Poe left the room and Finn followed on his heels. Rey started to head toward the door of the General's room to leave when Leia spoke.

"Rey. How's my son?" She asked. Rey froze facing away from the general. Leia smiled. She knew she had felt a change in the girl. There was more hope swirling around her, more excitement and more happiness. Rey had been keeping to herself mostly the general knew, so her friends weren't the reason for this change in her. Rey turned slowly to face General Leia.

"H-he's… I think…" Rey stammered not sure how to respond to Leia. "He's changing." She finally said softly. Rey couldn't help but let a small smile reach her lips. Those were the right words. He was changing. He wasn't angry with her anymore, but sweet and guiding when they interacted. Yes, he would get a bit temperamental when anyone, epically Poe, was around, but with her, he was different.

Rey's admission made Leia smile. Of course, her son would come to the light for a girl. He was a spitting image of his father. Leia could see on Rey's face that she was falling for him and falling fast. She couldn't help but let hope explode in her body. If anyone were going to bring Ben back to the light it would be this woman in front of her. "Well, that's good news then isn't it?" She said to Rey. Rey looked up to Leia concern taking over her features. "What is it dear?" Leia asked.

Rey slowly sat back down near Leia. "I'm terrified that this is all some cruel joke." She said. "What if this is part of the plan? Is he using me? Trying to play on my feelings for him, get the information he needs, and then destroy us?" A small tear trickled down Rey's face. Leia was wrong, the girl had already fallen for Ben there was no doubt in her mind.

"What do you feel to be true Rey? Do you sense that it is a trick or are you only making yourself believe that because you feel that what you are doing is wrong?" Rey looked at her shocked. Leia could read her so easily. She knew deep down that this wasn't a trick. The bond they shared and the moments within them were very real. She had just been trying to give herself a reason for all of this, because she knew if Poe, or Finn found out about her connections with Ben, they would feel betrayed. Rey nodded her head in understanding as another tear slipped down her cheek.

"Dear, you have nothing to be ashamed of. You are different than all of us in this world and have something with Ben that none of us could ever understand. You and I both know there is still light in him. Chase it, find it, and bring him home. You can show everyone that he isn't who he has pretended to be for so long because you are the one who sees it. Trust in yourself Rey. You are smart and have good instincts." Rey threw her arms around the General when she finished talking. This was better. She was going to chase Ben and follow his light. She would bring him home.

"Thank you." Rey said quietly.

"Anytime Rey. Now you better get going, those boys will want to be leaving. Be careful. Oh, and here." Leia said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small bag. She placed it in Rey's hands and Rey could feel the weight of the credits shift in her hand. "I know that you have been needing some new things and this should help you. Take a little while on Naboo and grab some new clothing. You can't keep wearing only one of two outfits." Rey began to protest but Leia gave her a look that made her quiet in a moment. "Thank you." Rey said, and she left the Generals quarters. She headed back to her room and quickly packed a few items, including her under construction saber. Her thoughts were so busy with Ben as she headed to the ship. Rey was thinking about their last connection and how she wished it hadn't ended. She wanted to see him. No, she needed to see him. In person.

"You all set darlin?" Poe asked her as she boarded the Falcon. She jumped slightly as she was ripped away from her own thoughts. She smiled at Poe. "Sure am!" She said. Poe smiled back at her, and then headed towards the cockpit. "You can be my c-pilot if you want." He said to her. She laughed lightly.

"No thanks. I thought I would meditate and work on this saber." She said back to him.

"Suit yourself." He said and then winked at her. Before Rey could react, he disappeared into the cockpit and she heard the engines roar to life as they started to take off. Rey was alone again and happy for it. She slowly made her way around the ship and went to the one room aboard the Falcon that was a bedroom. It was nothing fancy and the small room housed three single beds. They were arranged in a way were there was a bed against each wall forming a U shape and then the door was on the last wall. Rey sat down on the floor in the middle of the room. She took the lightsaber pieces out of the bag and set them in front of her. Rey looked down at the pieces and then closed her eyes, feeling the force around her and thinking of the design of the saber, constructing it in her mind. She sat deep in meditation forming her weapon.

Ten hours later Rey sat stunned, turning the saber around in her hands. It was done. Her saber was completed. She had listened to Ben's advice and Luke's. She trusted the Force and let it show her the way. It still took a while, but it was finally finished. Rey stood up and took a deep breath. The last thing to do was to turn it on and really see if she had done it right. Rey held the saber in front of her, closed her eyes, and held her breath as her thumb pressed the ignition on the shaft. The saber hummed to life, its energy flowing through the weapon and into Rey. She released the breath of air and opened her eyes to find a purple blade in front of her. Rey smiled widely and couldn't help but let a small giggle release from her mouth. She finally had her lightsaber. She was ready for anything.

Poe walked to the crew quarters to check on Rey. He was worried since he hadn't seen her in almost 12 hours since they started their trip. The door to the room opened softly and what he saw took his breath away. Rey was standing with her back to the door, twirling around a purple blade that hummed and filled the small room with its power. Poe lost his breath at the scene before him. She was so beautiful, and strong. This must have been what she was doing this whole time. She was building her weapon that would kill their enemy. She was going to be the one to take down Kylo Ren. Something about her called to Poe. He couldn't resist anymore. He decided she needed to know how he felt and he was going to make it clear once they weren't on a mission and they would have time to talk he was going to tell Rey what he wanted. And what Poe wanted, was her.


	21. Chapter 21

Rey had disappeared from right beneath him and Kylo was still trying to get his breathing under control. He dropped onto his stomach on his bed and swiftly rolled over to his back resting one arm above his head and the other across his stomach. The image of her beneath him, with her hair splayed out around her and her arms above her head, chest rising and falling with quick breaths, was burned into his mind. His own breathing was out of control and his heart was erratic. What in the worlds was she doing to him. Everything that he had known about the dark side and anger and hate all seemed to disappear when he was around her. He had never wanted to be gentle with anyone before, or nice in that matter but when she was around he couldn't seem to hold onto the anger and hate that he harbored for his parents, the resistance, Snoke and everyone just in general. Every time she appeared in front of him, he felt the hate and anger leave his body and peace took its place. She was the missing half to his soul and he could feel it with every inch of his being that she was meant to stand by his side. Not in front of him or behind him but right next to him as his equal. He thought about his vision again of Rey standing by his side after she had turned. The Force had shown him a breathtaking image of Rey.

She was clad in a black sheath gown that flowed to the floor behind her. The neckline dipped dangerously low, almost to her belly button, revealing her freckled skin and sides of her breasts. She wore a dark metal necklace that fit like a stiff collar with a red gem in the center before the metal pointed down into a sharp edge like her plunging neckline. Her hair was shorter this time stopping just above her shoulders. It was waved with small braids going from the front of her head and pinned to the back. A small black crown with red gems sat atop her head. She was filled with power and her presence could have sucked the oxygen out of any room. In this vision she had walked up to Kylo with all of the grace of a Queen and took her place by his side. He had looked down to her and watched as she had turned her face up to him. Her eyes were rimmed in a smoky grey shadow and her lips were a deep red like the gems in her jewelry. Kylo drank in the sight of her like a man dying from thirst. Her lips parted then reveling a dazzling smile that reached her every part of her face and crinkled her eyes.

She was stunning, he thought. In his vision and in the times the force had brought them together. Every she had been in his presence, she was always beautiful, he noted. It didn't matter to him if she was dressed in a dangerously sexy gown or in her tunic and arm wrappings, he liked how she looked no matter what. A beeping from his communication link on his night stand broke Kylo's day dreaming. He picked up the small piece of plastic and hit the communication button, "What is it?" he growled.

"Sorry to wake you, Supreme leader," Hux's slimy voice said through the link, "But we are approaching Naboo and will be in their orbit in ten minutes." He finished.

"Very Well General. Prepare my ship." Kylo said.

"But Supreme Leader, we are first sending a tro—ahh grahhh ah," General Hux was cut off by Kylo Ren using the force. He was tired of Hux and is constant objections to anything he had to say.

"I am growing bored of your constant questioning general, is that clear?" He asked.

Kylo had released Hux and was rewarded with loud coughing and a small response, "We are preparing your ship now. Sir." Kylo smiled and tossed the com link on his table where it had been just moments before. He wasn't looking forward to going to Naboo. His family history was there and Naboo had been a neutral planet during all of this. It would not be easy to have a war break out and not take a large loss to Naboo's army, especially if the resistance was fighting along side them. He released a large sigh and heaved himself out of bed and headed to the closet to prepare for the day.

Kylo was walking down the halls of the finalizer just 5 minutes later, headed to the flight hanger to board his ship. His steps were loud and filled the hallways with loud thumps making officers and stormtroopers all move to the side as he passed. It was a short walk from his quarters to the hanger and Kylo liked it that way. It was a certain guarantee that he could quickly exit if needed. He had just turned into the hanger and was headed directly for his ship before he watched the red headed weasel walk in front of his ship. Kylo sighed internally. This was going to be a hassle, just trying to leave.

"Supreme leader." Hux said and bowed his head as Kylo approached.

"What is it General?" Kylo shot back. He was already tired of this interaction and just wanted to board his ship.

"Yes, Supreme Leader. I just wanted to let you know that the first to ships departed three minutes ago with footmen who will be searching Naboo's inner city for resistance while we scan more of the unsettled regions from above. They have been ordered to take any resistance member hostage for questioning if they can and to kill if met with any force from resistance members."

Kylo stared at the man in front of him wondering how Snoke had put up with Hux for so long. "Thank you General." Was all he returned and then turned and boarded his ship. He was in the pilot's chair in just seconds flipping switches and hitting buttons. The ramp to the ship closed as it began to hover above the ground and take flight out of the Finalizer. Kylo released a huge breath of air as the ship headed toward the planet. He loved flying ships, just like his father had. He felt most at home when he was in the pilot's seat and in control. Like this is where he belonged, outside of being with Rey. It only took a few minutes for his ship to land on the surface of Naboo. Kylo engaged the landing gear and let down the exit ramp once the ship was off. Time to see if any resistance members were here, he thought to himself, though he had a feeling that this was another false lead and the many leads that Hux had been "receiving." This was probably just another way for the incompetent weasel to waste his time he thought to himself as he exited the ship. Kylo set one foot on the fresh Naboo grass when he felt it hit him in the chest like a ton of bricks. His face turned ghost white, and his stomach dropped to his feet. This was not good, he thought to himself. Not good at all.


End file.
